Ares's eyes widened as he scanned the page.
"You guys need to get out of here. Now. I'll grab the notes."
Most of the group left hurriedly, leaving Adrien and Ares alone for a moment.
"You too, Adrien."
Adrien opened his mouth to protest, but he was interrupted by another fit of coughing. Ares looked at him worriedly.
"I'm serious, you need to go now."
Adrien started towards the door before stopping in his tracks, falling as if he'd been tripped. Ares hurried over check on him.
"Something's wrong." Adrien said, pulling himself up to his hands and knees.
"Shit."
Adrien was the opposite of comforted by Ares's reply, but as he tried to move, he found that pain shot through his spine. Ares sat down, then cautiously lifted him into their lap.
"What's happening?"
His question was somewhat answered by a pressure in his tailbone and back. The patches of scales on his arms and hands tingled, and started to spread.
"Shhh, you'll be okay, I promise."
Adrien was slightly comforted by Ares's words, but he could hear the uncertainty in them.
"What hurts?"
"My back and my tailbone."
Before he even finished answering Ares's question, he felt the skin near his tailbone stretch. Ares ran a paw down Adrien's spine. It eased his discomfort, but probably didn't do the same for Ares. However, the moment that Adrien started to relax, he felt the stretched skin burst, and something scaly and boney make its way through the hole in his skin. It sapped at his energy, he felt like he was going to pass out. He started breathing hard, and his phone had fallen out of his back pocket.
"Ares?"
"Yeah?"
"I feel like I'm going to pass out. And my back feels numb and tingly."
"It's okay if you do. I'll be here."
"Okay."
Adrien felt a pop in his back, then something rubbing against the inside of his skin. He braced himself for pain, but due to the numbness, he hardly felt it as glittering black dragon wings erupted from his back, tearing the back of his shirt as they spread out. He passed out from exhaustion as they grew.
Adrien woke up in Ares's arms. Ares was the first thing he saw. He couldn't help but wag his- tail? So that's what that was.
"Hey there." Ares said softly.
"Hey." Adrien replied weakly.
Ares set him down on a couch.
"We were able to get you to my ex-sister-in-law's place. One of your friends called last night, I told them you got sick. Speaking of... are you feeling alright?"
Adrien nodded, trying to take in what had happened. He had grown more scales, wings and a tail, and he noticed that his horns had grown a lot longer. His brain must have changed a bit too- he was having some odd thoughts. Nothing too intrusive, but it still confused him a little. Stuff about hoarding, treasure, and the like. As he looked up at Ares, another thought came into his head.
Partner. His.
"Is something wrong?"
Adrien shook the thought out of his head. "Brain's all fuzzy still."
"You need to tell me if you're having any animal-like instincts or thoughts, alright? I've had them too, I'm not going to judge."
Adrien looked away, unsure if he should say anything.
"Are you?"
Adrien nodded anxiously.
"What about?"
"Just- dragon stuff I guess." He hadn't yet said it aloud. It felt wrong to say- he was still human, wasn't he?
"It sounds like there's something else."
Adrien looked around uncomfortably. "It's about you. It's- something about you being there with me, and you being the first thing I saw when I woke up."
"Oh god- I knew I should've left you alone this morning, but I was so worried-" Ares looked incredibly anxious.
"Why do you look so anxious?"
"There's this thing that can happen when humans are spliced woth animals, called Bonding. It happens mostly in highly emotional situations. It's- it can create a lot of complications if the other doesn't also Bond."
"Did you- did you Bond?"
"Yes."
"With who?"
Ares tapped his foot anxiously.
"Ares?"
"You." They whispered.
"Well, I guess we won't have to worry then."
After a few uncomfortable moments of silence, Adrien spoke again.
"I guess this means we're dating again?"
Ares chuckled. "It's a bit more than that but, sure."
Adrien got up, hugging Ares tightly. "I truly did miss you, Aes."
"I missed you too, Rie." Ares said smiling, wrapping his lower arms and wings around him.
Thoughts crowded Adrien's mind, but one stood out as abnormal.
Ares was the first, and most important, addition to his hoard.
A similarly abnormal thought crossed Ares's mind.
Adrien was part of his skulk. Their hunting mate.
Ares's tail wagged mindlessly behind him.
