“Pollux,” Adrissu said softly, and Pollux’s eyes snapped open. His pupils flashed toward Adrissu and constricted, a savage snarl tearing across his face as he scrambled to his feet. “Pollux, it’s me, it’s me.”
Pollux started to lunge at him, but then seemed to become aware of himself halfway through, his violent expression immediately giving way to one of surprise and shame. He stopped and lowered his head to the ground.
“S-Sorry,” he said, his voice sounding distorted as he struggled to speak in his new body. “I didn’t—I thought—int-intruder.”
“I know,” Adrissu replied, keeping his voice as low and calm as he could, despite his heart hammering away in his chest. “It’s alright. I’m sorry I startled you.”
Pollux groaned, squeezing his eyes shut, and his body glowed as he condensed himself down into his elven form. It still took him a moment, but overall it happened much quicker and easier than it had before.
“I’m sorry. I just had this instinct to... I don’t know. Protect the lair, I suppose,” Pollux muttered, running his hands over his face in frustration. “How do you not try to kill me every time I’m down in your lair with you?”
Adrissu bit back a laugh. He couldn’t very well tell Pollux that when they were down there together, it felt as though Pollux was simply part of his hoard. “Because everything I have belongs to you. It’s yours as much as it is mine. Dragon instincts are... strange, and powerful, so it will take some getting used to. But it’s alright. We won’t be here for long. It already feels less stressful to have me near, right?”
Pollux hesitated, again making a face as if having to consciously think about and interpret what he was feeling. “I... I think so.”
“Good,” Adrissu said softly, and very carefully, he stepped closer to Pollux, lifting his hand until he could cup Pollux’s cheek. His face was warm, and he wouldn’t quite meet Adrissu’s gaze. “It will just take time, my love. We’ll get through it together.”
Silently, Pollux nodded, still not looking at him. Adrissu waited, but he did not speak, so instead he continued, “I think we can practice flying for a bit if you’re up for it. But first I wanted to ask you what you wanted to do with the, ah... the body.”
Pollux blinked, then frowned. “I forgot about that. It would feel strange to leave my body here, but... What would we do if we brought it with us?”
“From my experiments, I’m fairly sure the stasis effect on the body continues, even if the soul is in another body,” Adrissu offered. “So the body would just remain... sleeping.”
“But it would be difficult to explain if it were found,” Pollux countered.
“Then we leave it here.”
“But...” Pollux started, looking uncomfortable. “It’s my body. I don’t know if I can just leave it. What if I want to... to go back to it?”
It took Adrissu a moment to catch up with what Pollux had said. “Go back to it?”
“What if I never get used to this?” Pollux burst out, turning away. “If it’s always like this, Adrissu... I couldn’t do this forever.”
“It won’t always be like this,” Adrissu said, grasping his hands before he could turn any further. They hadjustfound success, finally, and already he was thinking of throwing it all away? It took every ounce of his self-control not to fly into a panic, but he had to stay calm for Pollux’s sake. “I promise, Pollux. You won’t need to go back. It won’t be like this for long.”
Pollux was silent for a long while, eyes downturned. Finally, he said in a small voice, “Let’s at least bring my body with us back to Polimnos. We can figure out what to do there.”
Adrissu sighed, looking at him. Whatever happened, he had to make sure Pollux could adapt to being a dragon; he didn’t think that he could ever bring himself to put his mate’s soul back into a mortal body now, but he did not want to consider what might happen if Pollux asked it of him and he refused.
“We can do that,” he relented. “But first, let’s practice flying.”
Reverting to his draconic form was easy enough for Pollux; like Adrissu, it felt more like letting go of something that he’d been holding, rather than consciously transforming. But as a dragon, Pollux still wobbled and moved with a strange gait; as he flexed his wings, a dubious expression crossed his face, as if he doubted they could carry him.
Slowly, Adrissu came up alongside him, admiring the red and black of their scales side-by-side.
“It’s partly your wings, and partly magic,” Adrissu said. “Use your wings to steer, but most of the propulsion comes from within. Have you used magic to fly before? I know many mortals attempt it.”
“A few times,” Pollux said, still looking uncertain. “I was never v-very good at it.”
“That’s fine. As long as you understand how to do it, it’ll be easy. Just lift yourself off the ground the same way,” Adrissu said. Pollux sighed, sending a rush of warm air surging around them. It took a few tries, but he eventually got it, lifting his body off the ground for a few steps, before floating back down to the earth.
“Good!” Adrissu said, all his teeth showing in a wide grin. “See? Easier than it looks.”
“I think I can do it,” Pollux agreed, looking a little less wary now.
“All you need to do is follow me. I can get us home,” Adrissu promised.
Pollux practiced a little while longer, still trying to get used to the new size and configuration of his body. Flapping his wings seemed to take a very conscious effort, so Adrissu mentally adjusted their course to be as much of a straight shot as possible without risking being seen.
