Rath tilted his head to the side, carefully examining the picture before him. Something was wrong. Perhaps it was that Rune had not even noticed Thatz batting around his hair, and eventually getting tangled up in it. Or Thatz's subsequent mewling and nuzzling attempts to get Rune's attention.
Perhaps it was because Rune was giggling.
In any case, he shrugged it off. At least both of them had really seemed to enjoy his presents.
"Rune, you said something about a bath?"
"I haven't time for baths! I must..." Rune's eye shone pure determination. "-frolic!"
And he squee'd and ran down the hall, Thatz dragged behind him.
Rath blinked. "...well, that's new."
Thatz eventually scrambled onto Rune's shoulders, although getting out of Rune's hair was trickier. He even tried calling Earth for help, but the mini dragon just patted him on the head. He'd always considered Thatz to be his pet.
Rath, meanwhile, had lost track of the high-speed elf in the massive palace. He followed the signs of destruction. A disheveled and dizzy dragon officer clung to a banister.
"What the... g... 'gumdrops and lollipops?'"
"Tetheus! Do you know which way he went?"
"I think he was headed..."
A pregnant pause.
"...to the Lord's room."
Rath gasped. It couldn't be! He wouldn't! Yet, as he reached it and knocked the door aside, there stood the two bishounen old men themselves. Lykouleon was simply staring at Rune, who looked quite the villain, clothed in shadows and petting Thatz with a maniacal grin. The fact that Thatz was rubbing up against him in what probably wasn't an appropriate manner only made it more frightening.
"My lord..."
"Uhhh... um... err... Rune?" Lykouleon stepped back, a nervous grin on his face. This was strange even for the knights.
"My lord... I have something I've been meaning to talk to you about..." Rune stepped into the dramatic high contrast light of the large window.
Rath tensed. He couldn't...
"This is it. You," Rune pointed an accusing finger, "shall be my valentine!"
"NOOOOO~!" Rath was between them in an instant. "Lykouleon, I challenge you! Rune and Thatz are MY boyfriends!"
"...w... what?"
"You can't have them!" Rath stood defiant, sword appearing from nowhere as well as Fire, who repeatedly hit him over the head with a tiny "idiot!" placard.
"Um... you know... I really..." Lykouleon coughed. "I was going to spend today with Raseleane."
"Rath! Don't get in the way!"
Rath turned on his heel, and turned from valiant warrior to teary-eyed boy. "But... but..."
Rune bustled by him. "My lord, your response?" He looked serious for a moment, then started jumping up and down with anticipation, while making noises like "fwee!" and "waii!"
Lykouleon watched this for a moment, then turned to Rath. "Someone gave him sugar, didn't they?"
"...is that bad?"
Before Lykouleon could answer, he was bowled over by an enthusiastic elf and attached cat-boy.
Rath gasped at the tangled pile of limbs. "That's bad! Don't worry, Rune, I'll save you from sugar!" He leapt forward, then paused. Hrrrrmmm. He flopped down on the couch. "Actually, maybe I could just watch for awhile."
"Rath!"
"Yeees, Lykouleon?"
"This isn't funny!"
Rath kicked his feet up leisurely. The dragon lord had wound up beneath both knights, one of with the hots for him and the other nuzzling anything that moved.
"Yeah, I think it is."
"RAAAATH!"
Rath pillowed his hands behind his head. "So, I can keep them? No competition or anything?"
"You'll have to ask them about that, Rath," said the dragon lord, his voice biting because he was blushing so badly. "But I am certainly not going near you three for a long while."
"Okay!" Rath was up in a moment and disentangling his comrades. Or, at least, disentangling Lykouleon. He and Thatz managed the opposite, really getting in Rune's hair-but wasn't that always the case?
Lykouleon fled, leaving Rune to make unhappy whimpering noises. Thatz pounced him, Rune tickled in revenge, and the playfighting began anew.
"I love this holiday," said Rath. "But... didn't you guys get me anything?"
In reply, Thatz licked his nose, and Rune gave them both a random hug before launching into a rant about how very much he liked the color purple.
"...that'll do," said Rath. With this much catnip, he could wait 'til next year.
"Alfeegi! I LOVE YOU!"
"What are you doing?"
...or maybe not.

(Dragon Knights: The Secret) end