𝕱𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖑𝖞 𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖊 - a Leo Valdez slowburn

Chapter two

Chapter two. 

[Phineas and Ferb didn't do this, I promise] 

"I stay in my room all day

'cause why bother

to go outside when I have the world in my hands?"

Lin and Aiden were peacefully reenacting a scene from Dead Poets' Society when Leah forced them to come outside. 

"You're gonna help if it's your idea," was her explanation when she dragged them with her to the stable. 

Lin sighed disdainfully when they realized what they were about to witness: an epic fail of Leah Kovach trying to tame Ismeju. "You're crazy, you know that?" they commented tiredly. Leah grinned. "It took me a while to figure it out myself, have been for a while," she responded with way too much enthusiasm for the topic in question. 

She walked up to the stable to look at the dragon with narrowed eyes. She huffed. "Are you going to behave?" she asked him, then tilted her head. "Eh, doesn't matter." She slid the door open, letting the dragon out partly. 

Ismeju walked out of his stable, immediately taking a run for it. He almost dashed away, had Leah not already wrapped half a cocoon of vines around him. "You're not getting away this time, buddy." 

She stared at him again, frowning, then turned to her friends. "Any ideas?" Leah asked them skeptically. They both shrugged. "Maybe pet him?" Aiden suggested. "Ah yes, of course pretty boy, pet the violent dragon that wants to leave and kill us all," Leah sarcastically commented, although she still reached to bring Ismeju's head down. 

She blinked when the dragon voluntarily did so, bringing his head down and closing his eyes. Entirely in free will. Leah narrowed her eyes even more and crouched down. Suspicious. 

She started petting his nose, and Ismeju let out a type of gurgle from his throat, only softer. Like a cat. Wait. 

"Did he just purr?" Lin asked, unbelieving of what they just heard. Leah nodded, also surprised. "Like a cat," Aiden added. 

"So one thing down: petting Ismeju gets us purrs," Aiden commented idly. Leah nodded again. "What do I do now? How do you suggest I make a 'telepathic connection'?" she asked the two. 

"Communicate with the dragon, I'd say," Lin advised. "Like, his name, your name, how old you are. Try making friends." "With a dragon," Leah deadpanned, turning to look at them. Lin grinned. "Yes. With your dragon."

Leah turned again to Ismeju, smiling thinly. She pointed towards herself. "Leah," she enunciated slowly. Then she pointed towards the dragon. "Ismeju." 

Ismeju nodded slightly, and Leah heard a light growl. He brought his head up to look at Leah and then growled again. He jutted his chin at her at the second growl. "Leah," she said again. Ismeju growled again, but this time it turned into a voice.

Leah, Leah heard in her head. The voice was gruff, like whoever was speaking hadn't been hydrated for a few years. "Who said that?" she asked. Aiden frowned. "Who said what?" "My name," Leah answered. "Someone said my name-" 

"Leah, are you sure you heard something other than the dragon growling?" Lin interrupted. Leah, she heard again. 

She stood up, looking at her friends frustratedly. "Don't joke with me. You heard that, didn't you?" she asked desperately. 

Aiden blinked a few times, then repeated, "What?" "My name, poet boy!" she shouted, then apologized quickly. Ismeju, she now heard. The same voice.