He had seen Jinde's dragon form a few times but he honestly hadn't liked it very much. Well, that wasn't completely true. When Jinde transformed for the first time, he had loved it. At least for a short moment.
It had been a sunny day. The warm breeze was pushing a few fluffy, white clouds across the sky but they hardly provided any shade. That kind of day was his favorite. Thanks to their superior physique, dragons didn't mind any kind of weather so Jinde would still spend the day outside if he had something to do there. Then his hair would gleam in the sun and his eyes would sparkle especially pretty.
Jin Ling couldn't help but follow him even more closely than usual, tugging at his sleeve every now and then so he would turn around and smile at him. Then he would be happy that Jinde smiled at him but also a little sad because his eyes would curve up when he smiled, hiding that beautiful golden color.
Thus after a few minutes, he would tug again and maybe this time, Jinde wouldn't smile like that. No, sometimes, he would crouch down next to him and look at him with his eyes open, sparkling in the sun.
"What is it, Ah Jin? Don't you like it outside? You can go in and wait. I'll be with you in a bit."
Jin Ling hurriedly shook his head and grabbed Jinde's hand.
"You don't want to go inside?" Jinde tilted his head. "Then do you want to wait over there?" He motioned at a row of trees, probably thinking how it would be cooler in their shade.
Jin Ling shook his head again. He just wanted to stay with his Jinde, nothing more.
Unfortunately, Jinde didn't seem to understand. He reached up and touched Jin Ling's forehead. "Mn … You don't seem to have a fever. Are you feeling unwell anywhere else?"
Jin Ling shook his head for the third time, his gaze still trained on Jinde's eyes. So pretty … He was a little dazed looking at them, which in turn had to worry Jinde.
He got up and patted Jin Ling's head. "Wait here for a bit. I'll be back in a minute." With that, he wriggled out of Jin Ling's grip and turned away.
Jin Ling grew anxious and hurried after him but Jinde was so tall and his legs were long and finally, that tall and beautiful person transformed right in front of his eyes.
Jinde's dragon form looked a lot like his immortal form: A pair of dazzling, golden eyes and the whole body covered with equally golden scales. He was easily the most beautiful dragon in the whole realm.
Jin Ling stood rooted to the spot. Even though he knew that Jinde was a dragon, the dragons didn't transform that often so he had never seen him do it, despite growing up at his side. Right now, he could only stare slack-jawed and admire the beautiful creature in front of him.
Jinde, the dragon, turned around and nuzzled his head with its own. Jin Ling happily reached up and patted it, touching those golden scales. They were warm, just like Jinde's immortal body. They weren't as soft though. Between hugging a soft leg and touching pretty scales … Jin Ling wasn't too sure what he liked more but the soft leg would probably win by a bit.
The dragon turned its head again, flew once around Jin Ling and then soared up into the sky before speeding off. Jin Ling who had just been ecstatic from seeing another beautiful side of his Jinde stared at the rapidly disappearing figure. His heart squeezed and his body shook, his face scrunching up in only a few moments. Tears streamed down his cheeks and he ran after the dragon.
"Jinde! Jinde!" He called his name but contrary to the usual routine, nobody came running and picked him up. Nobody came to pacify him. His Jinde … had disappeared.
He finally sat down somewhere in Jinde's garden and hugged one of the big flowers, his tears still flowing down rapidly, his shoulders shaking with sobs.
In the end, he didn't even notice when Jinde returned.
Something crashed to the ground behind him. Jin Ling flinched and turned around, seeing a big tub with water on the ground. Well, the tub had fallen to the ground and the water was flowing out and seeping into the ground. He couldn't help but stare at it, thinking that his Jinde wouldn't like this. He was very particular about how much water his plants should get.
Before he could dwell on it, he was wrapped in a pair of arms and hit with the familiar scent of plants. Jin Ling stopped crying on cue and nestled into that embrace. Jinde held him, stroked his back and even hummed a song for him. It was as if he had never been gone. Finally, Jin Ling calmed down.
"Feeling better? Then do you want to tell me now what happened?"
Jin Ling shook his head again, very much like before.
"No?" Jinde cupped his cheeks and looked into his eyes. "Ah Jin, are you hurting anywhere?"
"No." Jin Ling finally talked, even though he didn't have much else to say.
Jinde's brows knitted together in worry. "Then why were you crying? Did something happen? Did somebody come and bother you?"
Jin Ling shook his head and reached up, putting his small hands over Jinde's. He couldn't let go. What if his Jinde transformed again and flew away? He couldn't let that happen!
Jinde watched him and the corners of his mouth lifted in a small smile. "You wouldn't have been afraid, would you? Because I went away?"
Jin Ling froze and hurriedly shook his head. He hadn't forgotten that his Jinde had told him that that stupid Xin Lan wore a mask because he was the strongest. He couldn't let him know that he had been afraid! If he did, wouldn't Jinde think he wasn't strong enough to protect him?