gonnawinagain | And I know you play the same games too

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And I know you play the same games too

The players: Zhao and Majima
The scenario: Mythverse. An unhappy accident (or prank) of magical proportions to get a small noodle dragon to appear.
The setting: Top floor living area at the Qing Jin. ~~Or wherever else Majima carries the poor noodle.~~
Any warnings: Possible swearing. Hopefully just lots of (tsun) cuteness.

Waking up in an unusual spot wasn't entirely new to the Chinese mafioso. Zhao typically had an idea of what caused it or vaguely where he was whenever it happened, or a way to retrace his steps after he'd woken enough to put the pieces back together after a long, hard (or intoxicated) night. It was sort of dark wherever he was this early morning but it smelled of home and safety so he didn't think much of it as he rolled over and closed his eyes again lazily.

He felt his scales brush up against something with a sharp corner and he rubbed idly at it to curb an itch. His eyes snapped open. He stretched and sure enough he felt the taunt pull of scales instead of human skin across his body. This was quite unusual as Zhao never allowed his scales to show on purpose.

The dragon rushed out of the dark spot and out into the faint morning light. He looked around wildly and realized he was in his room. And he fit. But things looked different. They looked...larger. No, he was seeing things from further below his usual height. That confirmed two things for Zhao: that he was not at all in a human shape, and that meant that he was in a small dragon form. This was absolutely unacceptable!

With a small, indignant squawk, the tiny dragon ran towards the closet where he had a full length mirror set just inside. (He had to inspect his outfit for imperfections before he headed out for the day, of course. One wasn't just naturally so perfectly handsome and stylish without a little effort after all.) He stared at the tiny dragon that appeared in the mirror in front of him and tried not to panic. How had this happened. Last night was a bit of a blur, which did not bode well. If something had happened last night... he would have to figure out what.

But he didn't have time to think about it for the moment as a noise just outside his room caught his attention. Did he have a guest over? Oh. Oh, shit. Yes, yes he did. And he knew exactly who had been staying with him the past few days (weeks, months).

There was a small noise of panic and a skittering of claws and scales on floor as the small noodle-y dragon tried to hide before he was found. He couldn't let his oni see him like this!!

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[ It's been a while since Majima got truly inebriated. That was useful, sometimes, the ability to drink alcohol like water with only getting just a bit instead of completely sloshed like everyone else; when human alcohol was concerned, that is. But sometimes there was a need, to have some real fun, to drink something with a true kick. Potent enough for an oni.

Truth to be told, he couldn't remember why they popped open the divine wine— he couldn't remember what reason for celebrations there was, but he can remember it was his idea. His insistence even. They don't have to worry about demon's favoured drinks, right? Of course, it's poison for humans, but neither of them are that.

The memories afterwards were fragmented and blurry. But he knew for certain that he left some articles of clothing in Zhao's room so he decided to... sneak right in. Without sneaking part, that would be troublesome, but he tried to keep his step light, quiet. The door opened, and one (1x) half-awake oni slithered into the bedroom, trying to locate—

—his shoes. His steel-toed, snakeskin-adorned, heeled dress shoes. Every possession of his could burn in a fire, he would jump into it only after the shoes. To his surprise, there was no Zhao inside—

—wait, no. He was in the room, he just wasn't anywhere to be seen. Curious, curious. ]

Raise and shine, sugar~ [ Abandoning the idea of quiet, Majima announced in a sing-song voice, as he started looking for the dragon. ] A beautiful day just started!

[ Even looked under the bed, found one shoe, but no Zhao ]

Alright, it's been goin' for a while, 'm certain it's past noon.

[Zhao had darted back to the dark place he had started from this morning. He recognized it now as the corner of his room that held a random scattering of junk. He'd always meant to clean it up, find proper space for it, but kept putting it off for the next day, then repeat that idea the next day. Suddenly he was grateful for his procrastination as it made for a perfect hiding spot for a small dragon.

But as Majima's footsteps grew close to his hiding spot under a fort of blankets (when had those gotten placed there? they were perfectly placed over the items to--oh, he must have done it last night, made himself a comfortable nest to curl inside) Zhao panicked. He had forgotten what it was like to be small. It was sometimes quite frightful. Put on top of that instinctual feeling to flee from larger predator the idea that Zhao didn't want the oni to see him like this? And he absolutely panicked as Majima neared the pile of junk looking for something (him? Did Majima already know?).

It would have been laughable if it wasn't so damned embarrassing. He panicked and backpedaled further into his nest, letting out a little squeak of alarm, and bumping into an object behind him that almost toppled over from the force. Except Zhao suddenly wrapped himself around it like a snake hanging onto a tree branch and realized it was hollow--a hole on top would just allow him to slip inside. Instinct took over and he dived head-first into the opening--only to discover he didn't fit. Well, his head made it inside but the rest of him was much too long and made this the worst hiding spot ever. (In retrospect, it was worse than that considering it was the object of Majima's search, his damned snake-skinned boot.) As he tried to wiggle back out of the hole he ran into a problem: his horns got in the way as he tried to back out and while he was in a panic he couldn't quite figure out the angle to prevent this. He was stuck.

The boot toppled over for certain this time, taking him with it, making small clutter noise of falling object and a tiny whine of distress escaped his throat. Meanwhile, the blanket on top of the junk pile shifted, fell inward on itself, as part of its support system was knocked over. Zhao froze as he realized the sounds he was making might bring unwanted attention and he lay flat on the ground in both desire to go unnoticed and inevitable defeat.]

[ Even with his senses dulled, the oni didn't miss the sound. Something fell, that's one thing, but the strange (cute?) sound that followed was something entirely new. Oh, it sounded slightly familiar, but also he was absolute, 100% he had not heard it before. Any different place he'd consider it a possible trap, approach with a little more caution. Not here though, anyone who would want to set up a trap in Zhao's bedroom would have to go through him first.

Unless it was Zhao himself that set up a trap— and that he didn't mind falling in for shit and giggles.

Without wasting a second Majima moved towards the source of sound that seemed to come from a pile. Something— was moving there. He discarded the blanket to unravel—

—a sight so otherworldly he required a second or three to actually process what he was seeing

There it was. His goal, his shoe, currently occupied by a writhing, tiny dragon. The tiniest!! Holy shit, they were truly drinking too much last night. This could have been no one else but Zhao himself, but why so small? Why so cute? ]

Shh— shhh— [ Majima did his best to sound appeasing, calming, just in case the dragon got himself somehow stuck in that shoes. Without thinking he brushed the scales on its back, before stopping himself from... you know, petting a tiny dragon. Zhao could go ballistic for that, and then. Goodbye shoe. ] I'm gonna get you out—

[ And so, true to his word (?) Majima took out his cellphone to take a photo. (Priorities) ]

[Zhao felt the blanket's removal as a breath of fresh air struck his scales and he went even more still as he held his breath and listened to his surroundings. It was either that of panic some more and he was already embarrassed enough as it was. He heard the soothing sounds and it almost worked--but then he felt the fingertips on his back and his scales rippled from the touch and his tiny brain flooded with adrenaline. He backpedaled until his tail hit something behind him and then he backed up some more as he curled around himself defensively.

He had nowhere left to go though and the shoe limited his set of reactions. He waited, and listened.

The snap of a phone camera. That traitor took a picture. He made a distressed noise that was supposed to be an angry growl but it came out more like a rumbling chirp due to his mortification. He couldn't let this stand! He had to get rid of that picture!

Of course, first, he had to remove the shoe from his head. He shook his head violently first but that wasn't going to work. The horns were still in the way. He tried using his front hands next but he wasn't exactly being careful in his attempts to shove it away and if left to his own devices for too long, those sharp eagle-like claws of his were going to shred the boot before they got it off at this rate.]

Woa— woah, calm down— There, there

[ The traitor's at least no longer making attempts of creating more photographic evidence. He sees what kind of danger the panicked dragon poses both to himself and to the shoe. ]

I'm gonna getchya out in a second— just let me,

[ Trying to hold the tiny dragon quickly turns to be a bad idea, what with how fast it moves, and twines. So Majima focuses on undoing the clasp of the shoe, to make it looser and give the dragon's head more space for maneuver. ]

This should help, but— [ Gonna give space to the dragon, see if that works out. See if that's enough. ]

[He felt the demon's hands try to grasp him and too late realized Majima was trying to help get the boot off, slipping and twirling about as he tried to get the shoe off. But he also felt the shoe suddenly loosen and with another shove and then shake of his head he finally threw it off. He rubbed his face against the floor, twisting his neck so that the top side received most of the contact, awkwardly scratching his horns. When he felt a little better he settled down and looked around.

And looked up at the oni peering down at him. He made another little disgruntled noise and this time it actually came out sounding like a little grumbling growl of disappointment. He backed up a bit.

Then bolted for the nearest blanket and hid underneath it, a tight little curl of scales and fur, all rumbling unhappily.]

[ The earlier chirp was adorable, but it was still a sign of distress. The current rumble made Majima think of... of an angry, hissy cat. Even if it was a dragon, and looked nothing alike. Majima followed to the blanket, but while he hovered over it, debating whether to touch or not, he tried to give his voice a positive lilt. The shoe, temporarily forgotten. ]

Freedom! That feels good, yeah— [ Crappity crap of the crappest that ever crapped. He falls onto a squat, expression a little defeated but it wasn't coming through his voice at all. ] Feelin' better now? Man, if I knew that divine booze party would end like this—

[ He'd still do it, let's be honest ]

Chirp if yer good, rumble if not.

[The little dragon's noises petered out as he listened to Majima talk to him. Like some sort of cute little pet. His talons curled into the floor so hard he was sure he'd left a mark. Then he calmed down a second later. Majima may have been hiding his disappointment with the chipper voice pattern but the content made it clear he was trying, that he was concerned for Zhao. That made him feel a little better.

Not hundred percent but he could at least keep them from both feeling like crap.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhao rumbled a short bit that eventually led into a tiny little chirp at the end. He shuffled and poked his nose out from under the blanket and huffed like a grumpy cat resigned to life in all its crazy design.]

Mixed-signal— ah figured. [ Majima shook his head, but he sounded genuinely relieved. He knew dragons didn't often assumed their beast forms (not to mention the tiny ones), and that coupled with Zhao's own attitude about his supernatural roots... yeah, bad mix, bad mix.

He felt a bit guilty, and given that he was desperate to placate the noodle ]

Know what— ya must be hungry, let's raid the kitchen! And if ya worry about bein' seen, don't. [ Given his track record, stating that alone probably didn't inspire confidence, so with a little hesitation he added ] I've got a spell right to solve that.

[The tiny dragon shuffled forward a little more until his whole head was sticking out of the blanket. Just so he could give Majima the flattest look possible. Really? Bribe him with food?

Zhao tried to reprimand the oni with a sarcastic remark but he realized mid-way through that all that was coming out was a bunch of high-pitched chittering chirps. Even his senses were dulled due to the divine alcohol from last night, and Zhao came to the reluctant conclusion that he couldn't talk normally for the time being. His telepathy wasn't connecting and in this tiny form he didn't quite have the right vocal cords for proper speech. The best he might be capable of was a few noises that sounded similar to individual words.

He gave up and simply gave the oni another flat look.

A spell to hide him, huh? Well, Zhao probably couldn't produce one of his own right now. The oni better not screw it up. Only part of the staff would understand that the owner was in fact a dragon and there was nothing new about his presence in the kitchen. Haha.

With a sigh and another wiggle the tiny noodle dragon slipped out from the blanket entirely and waddled over to Majima. He rubbed the side of his face against Majima's knee in sign of forgiveness and acceptance.]

[ The absolute flat look Majima received made him stifle another giggle. Turns out dragons in their beast form are quite well capable of emoting. He could feel the sarcastic response coming, knew very well he's gonna hear Zhao produce a witty remark—

And the very intense chirping came out instead, and that stunned Mad Dog into absolute, overwhelming silence. He made few, one-vowel sounds as if he was without words (he was) due to the trash talk he was receiving— but yeah, he did not understand a word out of it.

How can his dragon be so damn cute? It's criminal. A felony. He was the luckiest oni alive to be graced this sight. And while he might have refrained, until now, from making comment, it was much harder to hide the shit-eating grin on his face. ]

Aah, I bet after last night's stunt ya might feel doubt for my ideas— but know this, I can recite that spell half-asleep and hungover. [ Majima managed to sound reasonable for these few sentences, until it finally slipped. He made an expression of intense concentration and finally, exploded into a coo ] —mmmMMM, I can't hold it enough! Why ya didn't show me that lil' you sooner!

[Zhao managed to look dubious enough as Majima proclaimed to be able to recite the spell while half-asleep and hungover. At least half of which might apply currently if the oni had drank as much as Zhao had last night. More to the point, he just wasn't certain what kind of spell Majima wanted to try out on him. Zhao could only hope it was something simple enough to work. And that the oni's magic was potent enough.

However, the look changed into a grimace and a scowl soon after. Now the oni was cooing at him and making him sound all cute again. Ugh, he regretted last night so much. Why did he get himself stuck like this? Majima was going to make this the worst day of his life.

The little dragon made a few grumbling chirps as if he were complaining to himself (he was) about how he wasn't cute but fierce instead. And then to prove his point: he snaked out and bit Majima on the hand. Hard.

And like a cat's impatient nibble, it stung more than it seemed like it should though it didn't draw blood. Also like a cat, he purposefully rubbed his head against the injured hand one second after causing such injury. If you're gonna dare to call him cute you better appease your little monster, Majima; now scratch that itch on top of his head or else.]

Hey—! Ack! [ Majima made loud, barking noise, fitting the Mad Dog's name. More out of the sheer surprise, rather than pain. (Oni in general have high tolerance, he doesn't mind pain that much, etc, etc). Who would have thought dragons were cats. But hey, he understood what was being communicated to him, and spoke almost apologetically ]

Message received, sir. [ Almost. ] Yer a demandin' one, aren't ya?

[ Here comes the long-awaited scritch, as Majima's fingers found the spot between the horns and traveled upwards. Reading into Zhao's body language for his cues where it would produce exactly the best results. ]

Get around my neck when yer ready— or rather when ya bore of this.

[ Majima sure doesn't. If he's about to give a massage to a tiny dragon, that's what he's going to do. ]

[The little dragon's head lifted up into the scritches the moment Majima's fingers found the sweet spot between his horns and didn't stop there. He slowly started tilting his head to direct the oni's fingers further down his skull. When that grew tiresome he moved forward slowly so that the scritches moved down his spine, grateful for each springy little quill getting attention along the way. He had a long body so Majima might be at this awhile.

By the time the oni reached mid-way down his back, the tiny dragon was making a soft rumbling noise that sounded all too similar to a cat's purr. It may have been slightly familiar at this point as Zhao occasionally let a rumble out of his throat when he was pleased with something and not paying attention to what he was doing to show it. Except now it was tiny and cat-like instead of rumbling dragon noise.

Meanwhile, his head was practically in Majima's lap by this point and he rubbed against the man's thigh with his head as if the little dragon would make sure his scent never washed off. The rest of him curled up around himself as he twined expertly beneath Majima's fingers without further 'true' movement forward. At this rate, Majima really would end up with a curled up dragon noodle in his lap quite literally.]

[ Oho— just like a cat. If cats had anything to do with beasts that guarded their land, their people, and commanded forces well beyond human comprehension— well, maybe they did. The fuzzy secret world overlords. Now that's why there are such similarities between the two. Majima cracked the code.

He never stopped smiling as he provided the scratches exactly where the tiny dragon directed them to be. Aside for gushing over the cuteness of this form, there was also a sense of awe. Dragons rarely showed their forms, let alone the small ones. And yes, it was mostly because of the hangover or other side-effects of the divine wine— but if Zhao wanted to not be bothered he would make it clear enough. ]

Now, these are, Majima's magic hands at work! Best service around, no? Always happy to see a satisfied customer. [ The playful teasing was spilling off his lips without thought, as the dragon curled on his lap ] Now we are movin' to the next stage, yes. Make sure to relax and bask in warmth.

[ One hand still offered the scritches although on lower intensity, while the other hovered above the dragon. A simple spell to generate a bit of heat ]

[For once, the teasing didn't even bother the small dragon. He just purred louder almost as if in agreement. All thoughts of food were completely forgotten as Zhao curled up in Majima's lap and soaked up the magical warmth provided by the oni's simple spell. It was almost as good as basking in the sun.

And oh how he hadn't realized how much he missed that. The feeling of warmth against his scales...something he never indulged in anymore. Having scales in general was something he never really indulged in anymore.

Maybe there was something to Majima's words of wisdom. He was a dragon after all no matter how much he pretended otherwise.

Those thoughts were cast aside as quickly as they came. No sense in ruining a good moment of relaxation. His purr quieted into a low rumble, almost inaudible, as he began to fall asleep in Majima's comfortable lap with the gentle petting of the oni's careful hand and the comforting warmth of the spell. He might as well have been in heaven.]

[ They could stay like this. Stay for a little longer. There were no immediate threats to take care of, no immediate crisises to solve— heck, hopefully not even any plans to ruin a moment like this.

For as long as this was going to last, life was good, and all the big questions just didn't matter.

It was incredible to see Zhao relax in this form, of course, somehow all regal even as a tiny noodle. But not just because of that. Because he seemed comfortable with it, no matter how it came to pass.

Majima didn't let go of the warmth spell, now that he noticed how well it worked. The spell was easy to sustain, even in his hungover state. Though he did wonder briefly why did the dragon avoid communicating with him — with words, telepathically. Could be just making a point, but also could be one of the side-effects. Worries for later, only pets now. ]

There, there. Looks like someone decided it's nap time. [ Is that a fondness seeping out of his voice, unrestrained? Ah, dang it. Zhao's probably sleeping anyway, he won't notice ] Mmm maybe I should consider joinin'

[Hazily, Zhao heard Majima still talking to him--a gentle voice full of fondness and care--and later he may wonder about such a thing. Perhaps it was just a dream. He was mostly asleep as it were. Only barely awake enough to curl up tighter and place his nose under his tail, then rethink that position and instead flip over to put his chin under Majima's hand. A vulnerable position if ever there was one, but one he trusted the oni with explicitly.

Later, as he woke up and blinked at the world blearily from his impromptu nap he felt refreshed in a way he hadn't in such a long time. He started purring and even upon the realization of what he was doing he didn't make an effort to stop. He was happy so why not express it.

He stared at Majima for a moment and if there was the hint of a crooked smile that he could only make while in human form in his tiny dragon's demeanor then that was accurate to the way he felt in that moment. His oni was precious to him and he was happy to have him. He slithered into the crook of Majima's shoulder and neck and nuzzled the oni there, purring more loudly (whether to wake Majima or simply express his love or both). A small sound of tinkling like that of tiny merry little bells flitted through the air as the small dragon chuckled gaily.]

[ Following right into the nap turned out to be easier than Majima could ever expect. For someone so restless, and often sleepless, being forced to stop and stay in place by outside forces (tiny forces...) apparently did the trick. It was a shallow and dreamless sleep, but restful nonetheless.

He scrunched his nose as the movement atop of him slowly brought him back, out of that state. Then the purring started, and oh— that's what's going on. ]

Mmm, yeah, love ya too. [ Majima muttered, without thinking as he tilted his head, just to get better onto that nuzzling business. To press his cheek against the tiny head. To hear better how the bells of Zhao's giggle reverberated ]

[There was the briefest of pauses from the dragon after Majima muttered those words. It was quickly covered up by more nuzzles and loud purring.

But for a moment there Zhao was struck by the phrase spoken. They never said those words. They were too dangerous to throw around haphazardly even for someone like Zhao who could admit he had people he loved. And Majima had rapidly become one of them even if he couldn't admit it out loud.

He quickly reined in his feelings though recognizing that the moment was blurred between the lines of sleep and wakefulness, and that it was easy to mutter such a phrase to a small animal when it got excited. And that's just what Zhao was right now, yes? Just a tiny, cute animal that was being stupidly excited about how much he loved the person who had essentially curled up to take a nap with him. Who had given him such peace and warmth and comfort...

Don't be stupid, Tianyou. He chided himself.

He laughed out loud again to cover up his own insecurities and doubts inside, bell-like chime echoing out of his tiny throat. It was easy to be a small creature and forget about the troubles of the world. He dove into that mindset and didn't let it go.

Another wave of purring and nuzzling commenced. A playful bite against the neck to wake Majima more and get his attention. Time to get up and play with your little monster, Majima. He was ready to wreck mischief against the world.

But first--he had to go find a hand to bother for scritches. Right between the horns again, please.]

[ Majima almost didn't want to wake up. Staying like this, in that space between wakefulness and dream was a rarity. It was when present and past intertwined. With a guardian at his side, only the aspects of basking in sunlight remained.

And then the traitor bit his neck. Pins and needles, but soft and playful. The oni shuddered and opened his eye, finally ]

Ack— [ Back to the room, it was closer to the evening now, and Zhao remained in the dragon form still. As worrisome as it would be, most of it evaporated at the sight of boundless energy that he was ] Oh you— dontchya know to respect yer elders?

[ The oni whined comedically, but his hand immediately responded to the demand and fingers found that spot on the dragon's head. That spot that hit juuust right when gently rubbed in between the scratches ]

Ya sure got yer beauty sleep, mm? Ready to create some mayhem?

[The small dragon gave a small snort at the idea of respecting his elders. Who did Majima think he was? Some polite and respectful youth in a three-piece suit ready to get wiped out by the business world before learning the hard truths in life? No way! He was a stylish punk who acted like he owned the world he walked in. Give him some credit for being his own creature!

However, all was appeased with the scratches between his horns in just the right spot. He rumbled happily and swiveled his head just enough to lick thankfully at the oni's wrist.

When he tired of that, Zhao hopped back up to Majima's face and nuzzled into it before stepping back to give an enthusiastic nod of his head. He made a squeaking noise that sounded suspiciously like a quick "yep!" being said. And grinned a crocodile's toothy grin.]

[ Majima was absolutely capable of sounding like the cranky, old man he actually felt he was. The long life span of a demon aside, almost everyone around him did get older after all. Still, sticking to Zhao's company, to the energy generated in Ijincho was... rejuvenating in ways he never expected. This whole tiny noodle was the best example of that. The little beast, wicked and precious, and—

—yes, ready for mayhem. Perfect. ]

There we gooo! [ Majima announced with a giggle as he stood up. One hand stroking the dragon's body idly. Magic crackled in the air, the spell a little more noticeable than a simple temperature manipulation. It weaved around the dragon's body like an invisible fabric, and draped itself around it. ] Ya don't hafta worry about not movin'. Just relax and have fun.

[ In spry steps, Majima left the dragon's personal chambers and went straight into a kitchen. But before he got there, they met one of the workers (and a Liumang if he remembered right). His eyes comically bugged out and he took a quick jump away. ]

Shit—! Are you insane?

[ Majima just cackled in his typical fashion. Which could be taken as a yes, if not for the fact that he did provide an explanation soon after. ]

Awww, but isn't he shooo cute? Worry not, he ain't venomous or somethin'

[The small dragon chirped happily as they rose from the ground and he easily wrapped himself around Majima's neck as instructed so very long ago before their impromptu nap. He felt the spell settle on him and he suspected it was exactly what he thought it would be. He gave a little wiggle all down the length of his body as if to shake it off but in reality he was just testing it, settling it on his body as if it were a blanket to be worn. Which, it sort of was.

He had no qualms figuring out what his shape may have looked like to everyone else especially as Majima gave that last hint. So as the wary Liumang member stared at him in surprise and some small amount of fear, Zhao gave a lazy tongue flick at the scaredy-pants. God, he was going to have so much fuel for teasing this guy after today.

He slithered a little closer to the guy as if inspecting whether he'd make a good meal or not and inwardly cackled as the man took a step back. Yep, today was going to be hella fun. Why hadn't he done this sooner? Because, up until now, he hadn't had the perfect partner in crime to pull it off.

God, he loved this oni.]

[ The response to Zhao's curiosity was immediate. The man jumped back, nearly dropping the box he was carrying, and made an undignified squawk. His fast reflexes allowed him to catch it half in the air. ]

The boss is gonna hear about it!! [ he tried to warn Majima with a serious tone, but it came out way more unsure than he planned to. That only elevated Majima's wickedly good mood, as he lovingly ran a finger right under the dragon's jaw, and then placed a kiss atop of the horned head. ]

Please do! I wanna show off my ferocious baby to everyone

[ The Liumang passed them by, cussing Majima out under his nose. Oni's hyena-like laugh sure followed him for a while. ]

Edited (i am (not) consistent in formatting) 2021-08-26 18:07 (UTC)

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