Dream Walker✔️

2.6

I reached out a hand to touch Aster's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I'm sure I can find a way to fix it. I- I just need to talk to Shade once we get back, and-"

His eyes flashed open, and he grinned like a madman. "Look, I did it." He held up his hand to reveal a little flame dancing in his palm. "Isn't it great?"

"Great?" I swallowed the lump in my throat. "How is this great?"

"In case you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of the Arctic on an alien planet, and now I can make fire with my hands. What's not to like about it?"

"The longer we wait to fix it, the harder it'll be. It seems like all fun and games now, but back home..."

Shaking his head, he cupped my chin in his hand. "I know, Mars. I also know what you just said—that this makes it so you can't burn me. I don't want to have to worry every time we kiss, and I doubt you do either. This is for the best."

"You say that now, but what if you slip up and use magic in front of someone else? Or- or what if we don't work out? Would it really be worth the risk then?"

"Planning our breakup already?" He pursed his lips. "It's a bit soon for that, don't you think?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not planning anything. I just don't want you to be stuck as a freak if everything goes to hell in a hand basket."

Brows furrowed, he paused and extinguished the flame in his hand. After what seemed like an age, he asked, "Do you think you're a freak?"

I sighed. "Yeah, I am, but you don't have to be."

"I thought dragons were a whole species of their own. Even if you're the last of them, that wouldn't make you a freak, just unique. Special."

My cheeks burned, and I could almost feel my magic itching to start another fire. What was with me all of a sudden? I'd barely been able to sit up minutes ago, and now I was full to the brim with magic. The only thing that'd happened was bonding with Aster, but that couldn't have done it. Could it? No, he didn't have any magic to give me. I must've had more magic in my second heart than I'd thought, and it'd just taken a little spark of emotion to get it flowing.

"Mars," Aster said, taking my hand in his, "you don't freak me out or scare me. You're pretty as a human, but when you're yourself, you're gorgeous. Nothing about you is freaky." He chuckled. "And if becoming more like you is what it takes to be with you, I'll gladly do it. I'm not afraid of changing for you."

That wasn't entirely true. In my halfway form, I could better pick up his racing heart and the faint musk of nervousness. He was afraid, even if he wouldn't admit it.

"Are you sure it's worth it? I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to pretend the last ten minutes never happened. You'd still be my friend, even if-"

He kissed me, a brief touch that nonetheless fried my brain in an instant. "There's a problem with your plan—I don't want to be just your friend, not anymore. I was happy to be your friend as long as you wanted, but you're the one who kissed me first. Don't tell me you haven't wanted to do that for a while. You were way too into it for this to be a new thing."

I shrugged one shoulder, trying my best to be nonchalant. "Well, yeah. It's been a while." If I had to put a date on it, I would've said that I'd had a crush on him since... well, since the day we'd met. Of course, I hadn't liked him as a person then, just as a cute face, but a summer of awkwardly stalking him around the estate had turned into a proper friendship.

Aster ran his fingers over mine, tracing every digit in the same direction that my feathers ran. "Why didn't you ever say anything? You're so brave, I never thought for a moment that you would've been afraid to say something like that."