museboxofmuses | DRAGON AU

DRAGON AU

Prometheus hibernated a lot.

There wasn't much else to do, as a hermit-dragon. He couldn't venture out into the world in case some intrepid 'adventurer' wanted to slay him for bragging rights or his hide, he couldn't mingle with other dragons because he was one of Nidhogg's brood (a fact which was why he couldn't socialise with any Ishgardians because spears inevitably got involved in those conversations, he knew, he still had the scar on his hindquarters from his last naive attempt), and he knew absolutely no one else, knew nothing about the world or its new continents or civilisations, so hibernating it was.

But even then, sleeping got dull.

Prometheus sighed deeply, drawing his wings tighter about himself. Perhaps it was because he spent so much time sleeping, but his draconic body evolved to have furred wings - which was nice, it was very warm, even if they did shed some strange, fluffy black motes from time to time (he soon learned that these motes were highly toxic to mortals, probably from his subconscious desire to be left alone slipping into this body's maturing evolution). The downy undercoat of his wings was shed often and thickly enough that he even had a little nest, in a cave warmed by geothermic means, in the high mountains of Coethas. It was cosy, safe, and isolated.

It was also boring and devoid of anything. Prometheus came here... fuck, centuries? Or millennia? He couldn't remember. A long while, just after the war between Ishgard and the dragons kicked off in earnest. He flew here as a dragonnet, and slept and slept and slept, with miserable waking moments in between where he went to stretch his wings, eat a bear or something, and crawled back in his warm, soft cave to sleep some more.

He was avoiding reality, he knew. He didn't understand why he woke up in the form of a dragon - an alien species, not native to their star, how the hell did the reincarnation cycle mess up that badly!? - what happened to Amaurot, why the geography was completely different and... where Hades and Hythlodaeus were. He remembered, in the early days of his life, he would cry out through the Lifestream to hear nothing back, and was slowly accepting that, maybe, it was just him. Alone.

No Hades. No Hythlodaeus. Just him and his cave.

He exhaled heavily, flexing his claws as his body sluggishly roused from its latest bout of hibernation. His stomach was an empty pit of starvation, so he had to eat something calorie dense before dozing back off again. The only thing was, it took ages for his body to fully 'wake up'. Spending centuries practically in a coma made his limbs lock up, and it took a while for the aether flowing through his body to regain strength and feeling in them again. Not that he was in any rush...

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Yes, that was something Hythlodaeus had been wanting to bring up. But with Prometheus always within earshot, he never had a good opportunity to. Casting a quick glance to the sky above, Hythlodaeus decided to pounce on the chance now.

"I... vaguely remember, from the simulacrum's memories, about that," Hythlodaeus began carefully. The simulacrum had worked very hard to comfort Hades during those intense days of grief over his lost child, and those memories were uncomfortable stark yet murky at the same time, "You haven't told Prom about that, though, have you? Being a father before?"

“No. No... for the first time in quite a long time I haven’t felt the heartbreak so keenly,” he said. “If the child is born hale and hearty... then I might have the strength to tell him.” Hades purred, soothing the already tranquil soul resting beneath him. Hades sighed. “There is much I must tell you. But not all at once... You likely know all of it, or will remember it eventually.”

Hades curled tighter. “When that time comes, I can only hope that you two will still stand by me.”

Edited 2019-12-15 08:06 (UTC)

Hythlodaeus didn't make any promises, merely letting out a low hum. 'Don't rock the boat', Prometheus had said, and combined with the murky memories Hythlodaeus was managing to stir from the depths of his mind, he wondered if Prometheus already knew everything. It'd be like him, to stay quiet and sit on an unpleasant truth for a while, instead of directly confronting it. In fact, the only time he had done that was...

He frowned, the thought escaping him before he finished it. Well, it'll come back to him later.

"...well, here's to hoping the child's a healthy hybrid," Hythlodaeus said with faux-brightness, "To my sight, its soul, at least, seems to have attached nicely. It's very strong, very vivid."

Of course, a strong soul didn't necessarily translate to a strong, healthy body, but it was a necessary component of that. If the soul was strong, then the child tended to be healthy as well. He hoped that would ease some of Hades's quiet anxiety.

No sooner had he thought that, Prometheus's roar echoed over them, and he looked up to see his friend flying into the aviary with his Yol attendants carrying a bison between two of them. His soul felt quite pleased with itself.

"Ah, he's back," Hythlodaeus said, as Prometheus landed heavily. He was looking rather spry for someone who gave birth less than an hour ago.

Hythlodaeus’ silence unnerved him, but there wasn’t enough time to really dissect that or press him over it. He supposed the time would eventually come when their resurrected had to face the ugliness of their actions.

Hades tries to smooth out his demeanor, finding it coming easily. Prometheus would have loved to have some yol attendants even in Amaurot. What they might have done to be useful, he didn’t know.

“Welcome home, sweetheart,” he said, a little tongue in cheek. He had gotten quite comfortable at this point and did not look forward to getting up for Prom.

"Sweetheart? Hmm, I like that," Prometheus said with clear amusement, ambling over to bump snouts with Hades affectionately. Behind him the Yol deposited his bison kill and were already shredding the meat into bite-sized chunks (for a dragon).

"How's the egg sitting going?" he purred, ducking his head to nose at Hades's chest, as if to try and peer under him. But, Hades was pancaking very efficiently, and not even the smallest inch of egg shell was exposed to the elements. Prometheus approved, "Is it comfortable to sit on?"

“Ah, feeling sentimental now?” he asked a little teasingly.

“Easy enough,” Hades replied. “You can tell me if you find it comfortable. I could sleep like this. Technically I wouldn’t need to move at all for the next few weeks,” he said. He reluctantly budged his soul over to allow the others to touch the egg as well. “I see you have those Yol well trained,” he said with a draconic smirk. “Will the Au ra have to plead with you to allow them to keep them?”

Prometheus's soul reached out the moment Hades budged over, tentatively prodding the brilliant yet so tiny thing. It felt warm, like a baby bird, and Prometheus crooned low in his throat, rubbing his snout against Hades's chest in lieu of the eggshell.

"Hrrrmm... yes, they're mine now," Prometheus said, lifting his head and looking over his shoulder to see his Yol had finished their task and were now 'guarding' his food, "I suppose if they ask nicely enough, I might let them keep them..."

Of course, Prometheus was teasing. These Yol were free to do as they wished.

"But anyways," Prometheus turned back to Hades, "It's my turn with the egg. I want to see if I can sit on it comfortably."

Hades nodded and stood, his body resuming shape as he stepped out of the nest. He resumed laying down on the hay covered floor, seeing no real reason to be standing.

“I’ve already been working on a prototype for a home, by the way. If you would like to settle here for a while once Azeyma has hatched...”

He could always simply Create a flock of Yol for Prometheus. Or the Au Ra depending on his level of attachment, which at this point seemed rather high.

"A home?" Prometheus asked, carefully stepping into the nest, "Well, I mean, yes, I do want to stay here..."

He trailed off as he situated himself above the egg, fluffing his wings up around him as he carefully, very carefully, lowered himself onto it. He was wary of accidentally squashing it (how sturdy were dragon eggshells? Very? Not at all?), and conscious that he was very heavy for a dragon, due to his muscular form and solid bone mass (not hollow like the majority of flight-able dragons). He pretty much loafed on top of the egg, his wings half-unfurled with the fur on the thick membrane fluffed up, making him like a big fluffy ball filling up the nest.

"Hmmm," Prometheus wriggled slightly.

"Is something the matter?" Hythlodaeus asked curiously, when Prometheus kept fidgeting.

"Oh, uh, no, just... trying to get comfortable," Prometheus muttered distractedly. He was practically hovering over the egg, which was great for the egg, but was going to end up in crippling cramps in his legs after an hour or two. Can he really just... rest his weight on it...

“Oh just sit on it,” Hades said. “It’s got a barrier anyway. You can’t hurt it,” he said, waving a dragon arm with the sort of expressiveness expected when he was in a man’s body.

“Dragon shells are among the hardest shells found on this star,” Hythlodaeus added. “There often scavenged purely for their calcium content. His voice came easy and chipper. Hades found it to be a relief.

“I could always build an incubator,” Hades said, though he knew the idea would be shot down on sight.

"We're not building an incubator," Prometheus grumbled, finally settling his whole weight on the egg. It took a few more wriggles, adjustments, and a final fluffing up of his wings, but he managed to find an extremely comfy spot. Somehow, he became even rounder.

"There, okay, I think I got it," he said, sounding relieved. That egg was definitely going to be toasty warm now, Prometheus thought, resting his head on his puffed out chest, letting his soul's borders drop to mingle with Aza's. Hythlodaeus said before this was necessary to bond with the dragonet before it hatched... apparently imprinted on its parents whilst still in the shell...

"Comfy now?" Hythlodaeus asked in open amusement, to which Prometheus purred positively.

The weeks passed peaceably enough. Hades slept with increasing restlessness as the days pressed on. Whenever Prometheus slept he would just watch the egg, no, Azeyma’s soul. Nothing would calm his anxiety save for a healthy hatching. This also added a bit to his dramatics and insufferability.

The day did finally come, however. The rustling had begun mid-morning, and the creature within stirred until there was a break in the egg. Hades stood instantly, peering between his front legs to look at the wet crack there.

“Prom, Hyth, it’s happening! Come look, come!” Hades hopped out of the way, out of the nest to watch. He shed his dragon form... and his human costume, too. He realized that he wanted, above all else, to hold his child. He donned his black robe as he sat, hands on his knees to contain himself. He shouldn’t touch before it was finished— or should he?

“Does everything look normal, Hythlodaeus?”

Prometheus jerked out of the nap he'd been taking, almost dumping Hythlodaeus on the floor, who had been using him as a kind of pillow in the process. Groggily, the pair of them stumbled to the edge of the nest to peer inside - though, Prometheus did kind of double take at Hades's human form suddenly being a lot... bigger?

"Did you... grow...?" Prometheus said in bewilderment.

"Shhh, Prom!" Hythlodaeus said quickly, leaning in to watch as Azeyma slowly broke open its shell. To his sight, everything seemed fine with its soul, and after what felt both like an instant and eternity, the dragonet finally thrashed free of its egg. A slimy, golden creature tumbled out, shards of eggshell clinging to its wet scales (fur), as tiny wings weakly beat the air and a low, needy whine built up from its throat.

Instinct overrode everything then, Prometheus immediately moving in to lick the dragonet clean. It tasted kind of gross, and the crunch of egg shell wasn't fun, but in no time at all Azeyma was cleaned and...

Fluffy, was the first thing. Despite the fur being damp, it was clearly plush and thick, though its body was very dragon shaped, with a blunt snout that was a mix of draconic and cat. It had small, stubby horns, big, beautiful golden eyes (squinting dazedly up at them all), fluffy ears and looked 100% adorable.

"Uh, yes, he's normal," Hythlodaeus said slowly, a bit stunned by the dragonet's sheer adorableness, "Goodness, he's so... so cute."

Hades tried not to laugh as he watched Prom clean egg shell and yolk off the dragonet.

He was extremely cute. Hades look him up into his arms, gently manipulating the aether to dry him. He conjured a baby blanket to wrap the creature, no, his son— in. He held him close to his face, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Welcome, little Azeyma,” he said.

In this shape, Hades was far more comparable in size. He also looked twenty mortal years younger. Hades’ eyes watered a bit as he looked down at his child. “Never seen a dragon like him, have you, Prometheus?”

Prometheus shelved Hades's sudden growth spurt and youth to question him on later in favour of sitting next to his partner and peering down at little Azeyma. He looked comical, swaddled up in the thick baby blanket Hades conjured, but Hythlodaeus was right: he was absolutely adorable. Those big, beautiful eyes, his pink nose, ah, he was even doing a blep, the tip of his tongue poking out.

Prometheus's heart promptly, and utterly, melted.

"Never," he murmured, gently reaching out with his soul to nudge Aza's. Before it had been asleep and passively accepted their touch, now it nudged back, pure and curious and brimming with warmth. Aza let out a happy chirping noise, wriggling enthusiastically in Hades's arms.

"Well, I can say with certainty you have a baby boy," Hythlodaeus said, "A healthy one too! Full of beans, isn't he?"

Likewise, all that Hades planned to say was pushed aside in favor of simply doting on this new life. He held the squirmy dragon close against his chest, but he eventually wiggled out to curl around his shoulders. Seems he didn’t naturally want to be held like a baby...

“Oh? He can already walk,” Hades said with some surprise. “Perhaps I should have done more research. What should he eat? Do you think he’s hungry yet?” Hades drove himself slightly mad with the possibilities. “I’ve never seen a newborn dragonet. Though he is also Amaurotine...”

But he had an avenue to ask, he realized. He was already connected by soul, so he prodded to see what he might learn.

Prometheus laughed at Aza treating Hades like a climbing frame, the dragonet clambering out of his baby blanket to curl around Hades's shoulders instead, snuffling at his hair. Out of the blanket, Prometheus got a better look at their new son, and was amused to find that his tail was about the same length as his body. Wonder who he inherited that from, as Prometheus's own tail was quite short for a dragon.

"I think he, er, eats meat?" Prometheus said, realising he didn't know, and glanced at Hythlodaeus. He got a discreet nod. Okay. Meat, then.

Aza, meanwhile, paused his curious snuffling of Hades's pale hair at the prod to his soul. He cocked his head, his golden eyes squinting into that half-closed, happy cat kind of way as he clumsily prodded back. He recognised the feel of that soul nudging his - it had warmed him these past few weeks, bathed him in love and affection - and he now knew the soul belonged to this person. One of his parents! He sent a load of happiness and affection back, his soul practically purring.

"Mmmmrr..." Aza tried, wrinkling his snout when the words didn't come out right, and pretty much slithered off the broad shoulder to try and curl up in those warm arms again, "Mrr... mmmnn... meh!"

"Meat... I'll find the finest meats available, then," Hades said. "...Should we cook it? I suppose we can find out what he prefers..."

As far as Aza's looks went, Hades thought to himself that his own genetic material was probably more like a randomizer. Aether was so malleable. And even a newborn had the instinct to create. Hmph. There was much to learn about all of this.

"Is he trying to talk?" Hades said as he watched his child crawl back into his arms. He rewrapped the blanket around him, his eyes tearing up as he felt the warm bump of his soul come back. "Oh, we... We've been switching between languages, haven't we? It must be confusing. We can teach him our language, but no one else speaks it..."

Hades gently pet the fuzzy dragonet, realizing that this was a little silly to do to a child... But he seemed to like it, and he was so soft to the touch. In fact, perhaps the softest substance he'd ever touched in his life.

Aza decided he quite liked being swaddled up in the blanket, even if it did restrict his legs a little - and his parent liked it too! So, Aza settled down, soaking up the love radiating from all around him, and the physical sensation of parent (dad? Yes, Dad) petting his fur. Mmm, now that felt... cosy...

"Hm, I don't see why we can't just use Amaurotine," Prometheus said, switching languages accordingly, watching Hades and Aza with open fondness. Hades really was a natural with babies, who knew? "He might understand a bit already. Dragons pick things up when in their eggs, um... Aza? Are you hungry?"

Aza blinked sleepily at Prometheus, "Mmrr?"

"Mm? Yes?"

"Mmm..." Aza huffed, then, "Mmmye... ye..."

Truly astounding. Watching his son start to say his first words bloomed joy in his heart and soul. Hades instantly Created a bit of soft, fatty meat between his fingers, lowering it towards little Aza’s jaws.

He watched him take it quickly, swallowing without chewing— did he even need to chew?

“We can teach him the other languages later, I suppose,” Hades said, smiling down at the bundle of fluff in his arms.

“What a smart boy you are,” Hades said, cooing as he conjured another piece of meat.

"Aren't they cute?" Hythlodaeus stage whispered to Prometheus.

"Very," Prometheus said, feeling perfectly content to spectate Hades spoiling their son. He did want to snuggle with Aza too but, well, he lacked the arms and the dexterity to do it like that, and he could wait his turn. He had a feeling Hades needed this more than him, anyways, considering how anxious he'd been over Aza being a healthy hybrid.

"Careful he doesn't snap your fingers off," Prometheus joked, watching Aza practically inhale the slivers of meat Hades was feeding him. God, the kid certainly was hungry, wasn't he? "And that he doesn't choke..."

"Mmmr..." Aza said past a mouthful of meat. Prometheus had no idea what he was trying to say, but his soul was radiating happiness so, probably 'the food is good'?

“I’m being careful,” Hades said with a bit of a pout. “And he wouldn’t bite my fingers! He’s a clever boy.”

“I wonder if he can...” And then Hades flipped his glyph on.

Prometheus realised where this was going the second he saw the glyph flicker to life. While for an ordinary Amaurotine child, a soul glyph was normal and seen almost every day, for a newborn dragon fresh out of their shell-!

"Uh, Hades, wait-!" Prometheus started, but it was too late.

Aza seemed to freeze, blinking at the sudden glare of crimson glaring down at him... looking bewildered and feeling totally confused. From his perspective, his father had vanished only to be replaced by a glowing, angry looking crimson skull, and he reacted as any confused child would.

He started crying.

Not with tears, since it seemed dragons lacked that capability, but he let out a distressed, unhappy yowl, squirming to escape Hades's arms and immediately reaching for the parent who hadn't replaced their face with a glowing red skull.

Hades dropped the glyph immediately, his breast filling with panic. “I’m sorry! Look, look, it’s all gone!” He tried to rebundle the squirming baby. He could let him just go to Prometheus, but the baser part of him just wanted to calm the rejection.

“I should have known better...” Hades said, eyes wet. Little Azeyma didn’t cease his squirming, so he set him down against Prometheus’s feet in the hay.

Hades looked beside himself with worry. He crouched down, his mind racing with ways to fix it. He debated whether turning into a dragon would make things worse.

Oh dear.

Prometheus wasn't quite sure what to do at Hades's panic and hurt at the rejection, quickly lying down when Aza scampered towards him. The dragonet quickly tumbled into the gap between Prometheus's forearms, curling up against his broad chest as he made quiet, uncertain noises. All his fur was fluffed up, making him look like a furball on legs. It should be cute, but...

Prometheus let out a low, soothing purr, deepening it until it was a rumbling bass that Aza would feel as a physical vibration, pressed as he was against his chest. It seemed to work, the dragonet calming down enough to peek up at Hades with wary uncertainty.

"I think that was a bit too fast for him," Prometheus said, feeling awkward. Hades really should've known better, but he felt like saying that probably wouldn't help Hades's dejection, "Also... your sigil's kinda scary looking..."

"It does have a skull on it," Hythlodaeus muttered sotto voce.

"But I'm sure he'll get over it!" Prometheus continued loudly, nudging at Aza gently to urge him back towards Hades, "Look, Aza, the scary mask's gone. It was just a mask. Hades- uh, wait, are you Father or you going with 'Dad'...?"

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