"Bran!" shouted Misha.
Bran turned and spotted him. "Oh, you’re back again," he replied without a hint of surprise.
Misha slipped on a flurry on small stones in his haste to make it up the hill and had to pause to let himself regain his balance. Carefully he stood and walked, more slowly this time, up the hill to Bran.
’Back’? ’Again’? What did he mean?
Misha closed the distance and reached for Bran. "Bran-" He wanted to touch him and hold him in his arms, make sure he was real, but instead...
"Don’t touch me!" Bran stepping back. He held something out aggressively toward Misha. It was a knife. "Stay back."
"Don’t you dare wear Misha’s face and, and..."
Bran’s eyes darted back and forth and the box cutter in his hand shook.
’Back’. ’Again’. So that’s what he meant. Someone or something had appeared to Bran while looking like Misha, or maybe he’d been having hallucinations. This was a Coil after all and that meant anything was possible.
Misha took a deep breath and held up both his hands, palms out to show he meant to harm.
"Tell me what’s going on," he said in an even voice as he even took a step back.
This action seemed to surprise Bran and Misha saw a flicker of doubt cross his face. Then he shook his head. "No. I’m not falling for that again," was Bran’s resolute reply as he walked backwards then turned and ran into the trees.
He couldn’t believe it. He absolutely couldn’t believe it. After all that trouble, getting info dumps from Aunt Yeung and Gou Ngaam, then breaking into Zhan’s ’cell’ and helping him with his life issues, then everything after that with going to the Under City, arguing with scary powerful beings to be allowed to come help here-! Argh!
Bran was his and Misha wasn’t going to let him get away that easily.
"Get back here!" he yelled as he raced after Bran.
Admittedly, Bran was fast on his feet and agile enough to not let the fallen branches get in his way, but he was no match for Misha, especially not when the latter could transform midstride into a creature who could fly, so it was a foregone conclusion that Bran would get caught. But Misha also didn’t want to hurt him, so Bran was able to wriggle away and escape. Once.
"Let go of me!" Bran gasped as Misha pinned him to the ground.
"Bran, give me the knife," he said with a steady voice.
Bran, hearing the request, tried to twist his hand away to keep the weapon but even as a human, Misha was taller and stronger.
Blood splattered the ground and Bran flinched as he caught sight of the wound on Misha’s hand.
But before he could say anything or wriggle away again, Misha clamped his bleeding hand over Bran’s mouth. Again, Bran tried to struggle but after a minute he stopped.
Misha felt the fight go out of him and let go of his other wrist and got up off of him.
The adrenaline from the chase had left his system now and now the panic had set in as he looked down at Bran’s motionless body. What did I just do? How could I have done that, especially to Bran? I...
But before his anxiety could gain full control, Bran stirred and sat up.
Misha stopped breathing. "...Yes?"
Bran looked at him, his eyes slowly tracing up his form and settling on his face. "...Misha?"
Tears suddenly welled up in Bran’s eyes and he flung his arms around Misha. "Oh god..."
Misha gasped, partially from the force of being tackled to the ground and partly from not having breathed properly for a minute, but he still managed to hug his lover back. He could feel Bran’s shoulders quiver and he held him tighter and turned them onto their side to better hold him.
He feels thinner, Misha thought to himself. But it’s only been a few days...
Bran coughed. "Thirty-eight," he croaked.
"Huh?" Misha let go of Bran just a little to better hear him.
"For me... it’s been thirty-eight days," said Bran.
"What...?" Misha took Bran’s face in his hands. He now noticed the dark circles under his eyes. Now he wanted to cry too.
Bran gave a tired smile and leaned forward to give Misha a small kiss. "I’m not sure... if time is accelerated here, or if it’s just my perception that got warped. I guess... we’ll find out when we get out."
Those words cut through all the noise in Misha’s head. Getting out. That’s what he needed to be doing: getting Bran out of here.
He sat up and pulled Bran up in one motion. "Helen and Ah-Boon and Haayi the fox lady are helping to rescue the missing loong out through a portal and I’m pretty sure I can get us back there. Can you walk? Actually, nevermind..." Misha transformed. I’ll carry you.
Bran put a hand to Misha’s scales but didn’t mount. "Thank you," he said after a moment, "for coming to get me."
Misha craned his neck back and nuzzled Bran. You’re welcome. And it’s not just me and Helen and them. Even your aunt and Gou Ngaam are out looking for you.
What are you so surprised about. Of course they are. Especially your aunt. Misha shifted and Bran noticed.
Misha hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should tell the truth, but since Bran could read his thoughts, he knew there was no point in trying to hide it. Your aunt, and Gou Ngaam and a few others are missing actually. They went missing after going out to find you.
You were silent as we flew so I told you about what had been happening on the outside, how Aunt Yeung had cast a compass jar spell to find him, how Yidi and I had cut a deal with Zhan and all that. I could tell you were listening as you brushed your fingers through the fur that lined my spine. I wanted to see your face to better gauge how you were, but for now I had to settle for the comfort of your weight upon me.
The weather was much the same as when I’d flown there earlier, lots of mist and fog, but I still took my time to make a slow descent, peering through all of it to make sure we didn’t have any unwanted guests coming to welcome us. Luckily, there were none so I landed on the roof of the castle and padded over to that hole in the ceiling above the room that had been keeping all the loong captive and looked in.
"Is this where you came out?" you asked.
Yeah. Looks like Helen and Ah-Boon aren’t here anymore.
Can’t see anyone. I’d told you about Zhan making the distinction between ’dragon’ and ’loong’ and you didn’t object to it at all and actually took to it rather easily.
"Hmm... Can we go in to have a look?"
It was odd to have you be the one asking me a question - I was so used to it being the other way round - but I nodded anyway and offered my back again.
Without even the little bit of light from the jiaolong, it was next to impossible to see anything in the space, but luckily you were here this time. As soon as you landed, you raised a hand and, somehow, summoned a ball of burning fire right above your palm
I saw the corner of your mouth perk up a little. "I thought you’d be used to this kind of thing by now," you said.
You were making jokes. That was good.
I rested my head on your shoulder and blew a little on the flame. This made it spit and grow larger in size.
Not when it’s you, I replied mentally.
You cleared your throat and turned away, using the flame to inspect the space. While all the loong had vanished, the chains were still present. As was the smell of blood.
"Where was the portal?" you asked.
I nipped the edge of your shirt then led the way to the particular pillar that had the shimmering portal.
Or rather, used to havethe shimmering portal.
I transformed into a human and crouched to better take a look at where Ah-Boon’s portal had been last time I’d been here and poked the stone. It was cold and definitely not teleporty.
"If the portal’s gone, then... are we stuck here then?" I asked.
I looked down and saw I was completely clothed. A moment passed. "Hey! I have clothes!"
"You’re moving up in the world."
I grinned. "Now you won’t have a clothing deficit."
You crouched down next to me, your arm brushing against mine. "I dunno about that..."
I took a deep breath. If we hadn’t been in a prison of sorts that still smelt of blood, or trying to find a way to escape the bad guys’ Coil, or a thousand other things I couldn’t remember in that moment, I would have pushed you to the ground right then and there.