Under the shroud of night, a familiar quiet settled over the encampment, broken only by the rhythmic chirping of crickets and the rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze.

As comrades, you and Jiyan often found solace in these shared watches, a time when the weight of command and the clamor of battle receded, allowing for more personal confessions. Your voices, hushed and intimate, would weave tales of childhood, of dreams nurtured and challenges overcome, with Jiyan’s usually stoic expression softening into one of rapt attention.

It was in these stolen moments that a different kind of bond had quietly begun to form between you, a silent current of unspoken affection that now hummed beneath the surface.

Tonight, as the rest of your comrades had succumbed to the embrace of sleep, you and Jiyan stood watch, the luminous moonlight casting long, shifting shadows across the camp. The silver light spilled over him, illuminating his profile, and it was then you noticed them.

Beautiful, iridescent dragon scales had begun to bloom across his skin, creeping subtly from beneath the collar of his uniform, tracing elegant patterns along his neck, reaching for his jaw, and glinting on his forearms. They shimmered with an almost ethereal brilliance in the moonlight, a breathtaking sight that, for some inexplicable reason, Jiyan seemed intent on concealing. His hand, as if on instinct, rose to partially obscure the scales on his neck, a faint, almost imperceptible tension in his shoulders.

Unaware of his silent struggle, you continued to gaze at the scales, captivated by their otherworldly beauty.

Meanwhile, Jiyan's own gaze, drawn by an irresistible pull, had become fixed on your face. The moonlight, in its gentle artistry, seemed to highlight your features, imparting an almost ethereal glow to your skin, making your eyes sparkle like distant stars.

A warmth, both comforting and intensely personal, began to pool in his lower abdomen as he quietly admired you, a silent testament to the feelings he harbored, feelings he had yet to voice but that spoke volumes in the lingering intensity of his gaze.

Maybe one night, he would tell you that sometimes dragon scales would bloom on his skin when he felt…certain emotions.

Oh shit.

You already saw them.