Horns, blood and tail

6

Well, here I am in the same park again, but this time with Namjoon, a very quiet man.

We walked side by side along the street until we made it down the hill to where the green park was, and he put himself between the cars and I like a bulldozer. Honestly, if a car came to crash into us, I think the car would be more broken than him. He's that big and strong looking.

It must be because his mana itself feels very... mighty and protective. An invisible shield that would remain unscathed in the face of the worst storm known to man and leave those it protected without a single scratch. That's how it makes me feel anyway.

Either way, not much was said on the way, and even now as we sit and look around the emptiness that surrounds us, we are not saying more.

From between the trees, I can see a little bit of the bay and the boat that connects both shores, slowly getting away with people on board. Hoseok and Namjoon must have come on this one, seeing as they haven't been here for long.

I grab my water to drink a little, fully aware that Namjoon is staring at me, the bottle I gave him earlier next to his thighs on the bench and left untouched. The nerves I feel from his gaze makes me take a nervous gulp, and I end up coughing and spluttering as the water goes down the wrong pipe.

Less than a second and I feel his large hand rub my back soothingly as he leans over with something close to urgency, his mana thickening as it flows through me with the need to protect. His brown eyes are focused on my face and the tears that flow down my cheeks, and he feels terrible for not being able to help more.

"I'm- I'm fine" I manage between two sets of coughing, his face scrunched in worry while I try to not look like an absolute idiot. This isn't the first impression I want him to have of me, and especially not the last one should I die.

I'm eventually able to clear my throat, and breathing becomes easier again. I'm not dying today, thank goodness.

"I'm sorry, I'm not good at knowing what to say and I'm making things awkward" the dragon mumbles softly, looking displeased with himself. "Hoseok has more ease speaking with new people, but I don't have that".

I shake my head before wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. "Don't be sorry, Namjoon, it's not your fault. I'm the same so I understand. Yoongi and Jimin did most of the talking at first. I'm not good at knowing what to say, and when to say it".

Silence resumes again, and I press my lips into a tight smile.

His scent is very calm so I can guess that he's not exactly uncomfortable right now, but he must have sensed my unease, which must be why he apologized. I hope he doesn't think that I choked on my water because of him.

"Erm... you- uh. You can ask questions, if you want" I blurt out after a minute or two. "About my health as a hybrid, or anything you want, really. I'll think about what to ask you too, although I'm not very good at it".

He hums softly, his eyes still on me and searching into my own, into my soul. His body heat seeps into me with such intensity that the distance between us feels like it's none, and the warmth in the brown of his eyes also looks like it's holding a fire, always burning in the depth of his being.

"I have only heard stories that ended badly for hybrids, but you're looking... great. Not... sick, you don't look sick. Ugh, this is not sounding the way I want" he utters with a disappointed sigh, and I clear my throat in an attempt to hide an amused smile.

"You said that you came here so your health would get better" he tries again. "Were you unwell, in the city?".

I lean back to stare at the sky in thoughts.