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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Prometheus sighed when he felt Hades cast the barrier, unfurling his wings and giving them several powerful beats, stirring up the downy floor of the nest.

"I think you guys can show yourselves out," Prometheus said sweetly, "Or I can toss you out physically, your choice."

Lahabrea and Elidibus seemed to communicate with each other by silent staring - or telepathy, honestly, Prometheus wouldn't be surprise if those two set up a mental channel to bitch about Hades in private. After a moment, they seemed to agree to play it safe, and Elidibus muttered a rather ominous; "We'll discuss this at length later."

With a warp of that weird, dark aether, the pair vanished.

"Well, at least no one got eaten," Hythlodaeus joked weakly, "That's... good."

"They wouldn't be worth the indigestion," Prometheus grumbled, looking over at Hades. He seemed to have made himself comfortable, "I'm gonna get food. You want anything specific?"

“I’m fine. The Oronir prepared a feast in Azeyma’s honor. I’ll eat cooked food once you get back,” he said. He flattened his body, really pooling as filling the nest. He looked like he could burrow just by shimmying his hips.

Hythlodaeus approached and sat on the edge of the nest to watch the soul inside the egg. He reached out to touch with his soul, finding Hades had already encircled it in his soul and aether. “Hey, budge over,” he said playfully.

“Careful...” Hades said testily, though all knew he trusted Hythlodaeus immensely.

Prometheus huffed fondly, but after checking that Hades really was comfortable (and so was the egg, with Hades's body practically pancaking himself like that), took wing. A few of the Yol peeled away from the upper floors of the aviary, trailing after Prometheus as was normal. They helped him carry food back.

Hythlodaeus watched them go, before shifting his focus back onto Hades. Despite his testy response, Hades had budged over... by a fraction, but Hythlodaeus let him be. The dragonet did bond with its parents through the egg aetherically, so perhaps it'd be best for Hythlodaeus not to confuse the poor thing by tossing his own thinned out soul in there just yet.

"You remind me of a brooding chicken," Hythlodaeus said idly, "Perhaps you should add some feathers to your form to really sell the image."

“They’re not so distantly related, you know. Anatomically speaking,” Hades said with a frown. Prometheus had feathers... maybe it would be more aesthetically pleasing f he did, too. He considered this seriously for a moment even if Hytholadeus was just being a bastard. Speaking of....

“You need a dragon form too, probably. We really don’t know what will hatch out of this egg. He could not peer through, unfortunately. The infant’s soul was unguarded and open, unfurled into the full shell of the egg.

“Hythlodaeus... how are you... adjusting?”

Hythlodaeus exhaled noisily, "I quite like my current form, thank you."

Dragons were intelligent, and he had no doubt Prometheus and Hades's child would be doubly so. Probably a menace too, but one able to reconcile Hythlodaeus's human form and bond with him. There were, after all, reports of dragons bonding with humans before all the... Ishgard stuff.

"I'm adjusting well enough. I'm alive, without knowing how but grateful for it all the same," he said carefully, remembering Prometheus's earlier warnings to 'not rock the boat'. He respected Prometheus's wishes, of course, but he had still picked at and investigated his own murky memories and pieced together slips of information Hades let out in unguarded moments. He kept those quiet, "My Creation magic is the hardest part... I can't make anything more complicated than a tea kettle, and even then it exhausts me. Making things the mortal way, it's... interesting but strange..."

“You don’t have the aether for it,” Hades said somewhat simply. “You can draw from my well, if you like,” Hades said. It was nigh endless, after all. “...I’m not sure how I did it either. I can draw things out of the lifestream, but...”

But this was different, wasn’t it?

“I’m so happy to see you, Hythlodaeus. It had been hard spending all this time without my friends.”

"I'll bet," Hythlodaeus said with morbid humour, "Stuck with only fussy Elidibus and humourless Lahabrea for company..."

He couldn't think of a worse fate. How did Hades not lose his mind and strangle the both of them...? Or stomp off to go into one of his century long sulk-naps? It beggared belief...

"But you have myself and Prom back now, don't you? And also a child!" Hythlodaeus smiled, and, despite his suspicions and misgivings, did feel genuine happiness for Hades, "I hope it takes after me. I can't deal with another you or Prom."

“I barely wanted the job as it is, and half the reason was those two incarnates of wet blankets,” Hades said with a sigh.

“I can’t deal with another you either. Smug bastard,” Hades said as he closed his eyes. “The child will be himself,” Hades said softly. “And I do. I do have you two back. I never thought it would be like this exactly... but I’m not going to complain.”

"...no, I suppose you wouldn't," Hythlodaeus sighed, leaning forwards to rest his elbows on his knees, his chin on an upturned palm as his gaze drifted downwards, to where the egg was completely hidden beneath Hades's brooding body.

"So, how does it feel?" he asked curiously, "Brooding? Is it comfortable to sit on an egg like that?"

"It's fine," Hades said with a shrug. "I've held babies for hours on end, so this is easier. I'm in no danger of crushing it, so I can mostly relax. Prometheus is smaller, so... I don't know if he'll feel the same way."

Hades considered the chicken for a moment. Maybe he did look a bit like one. Prometheus would look even more like one, buried up to his chin in the nest.

"Mostly, I'm anxious, I suppose. I know I can protect it, I just hope it hatches alright," he said lowly. Hades glanced at the skies. Prometheus wasn't back yet. "It's been... fifty, sixty years since I last had a child of my own. He died suddenly before he was even twenty-one. In retrospect, I think he had a malformed heart."

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?"

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