—The dragon opened its mouth and blew fire. A column of white-hot flames billowed over Leo more than he'd ever tried to endure before. He shielded Alex by covering her body with his. He felt as if he were being hosed down with a powerful, very hot fire hose. It stung a little, but he stood his ground. When the flames died, he was perfectly fine and so was Alex- only a bit sweaty Even Leo's clothes were okay, which Alex didn't understand, but for which she was grateful, having his pants seared off would've been pretty embarrassing.
The dragon stared at Leo. A spark flew out of its neck like it was about to short-circuit.
"You can't burn me," Leo said, trying to sound stern and calm. He'd never had a dog before, but he talked to the dragon the way he thought you'd talk to a dog. "Stay, boy. Don't come any closer. I don't want you to get caught. See, they think you're broken and have to be scrapped. But I don't believe that. I can fix you if you'll let me-"
The dragon creaked, roared, and charged. The trap sprang. The floor of the crater erupted with a sound like a thousand trash can lids banging together. Dirt and leaves flew, metal net flashing. Leo and Alex were knocked off their feet, turned upside down, and doused in Tabasco sauce and oil. Alex found herself sandwiched between the vat and the dragon as it thrashed, trying to free itself from the net that had wrapped around them all.
The dragon blew flames in every direction, lighting up the sky and setting trees on fire. Oil and sauce burned all over them, some burning Alex. She yelled in pain and Leo looked at her in panic.
"Shit Lex, are you okay?"
"No I'm not okay, I'm getting burned" Alex yelled in pain, "Quick! give me some of the water from the bottle"
Leo obliged and Alex poured some on her palm. Instantly she felt better, her burns healed and she sighed in content. The dragon kept squirming. Alex and Leo realized they would get crushed if they didn't move. It wasn't easy, but they managed to wriggle out from between the dragon and the vat. Alex squirmed her way through the net. Fortunately the holes were plenty big enough for a duo of skinny kids.
Leo ran to the dragon's head. It tried to snap at him, but its teeth were tangled in the mesh. It blew fire again, but seemed to be running out of energy. This time the flames were only orange. They sputtered before they even reached Leo's face.
"Listen, man," Leo said, "you're just going to show them where you are. Then they'll come and break out the acid and the metal cutters. Is that what you want?"
The dragon's jaw made a creaking sound, like it was trying to talk.
"Okay, then," Leo said. "You'll have to trust me."
Leo and Alex set to work. Well mostly Leo, although Alex did whatever odd errand Leo wanted.
It took him almost an hour to find the control panel. It was right behind the dragon's head, which made it difficult. They'd elected to keep the dragon in the net, because it was easier to work with the dragon constrained, but the dragon didn't like it.
As Leo continued to work, he talked to the dragon and at one point she could've sworn they held a whole conversation.
By the time Leo was through, his hands were black with grease and his clothes looked like he'd just lost a mud-wrestling contest, but the mechanisms looked a lot better. He slipped in the disk, connected the last wire, and sparks flew. The dragon shuddered. Its eyes began to glow.
"Better?" Leo asked.
The dragon made a sound like a high-speed drill. It opened its mouth and all its teeth rotated.
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Home|| Leo Valdez
Fanfiction"After all those years on the streets, I finally feel like I'm home" "You're lying" Leo didn't even have to look up, he knew her better than anyone. "You're right, I was always at home with you" In which there's an unlikely friendship (... and ma...
