FSE

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“Jess, have you seen my sleeping mask?" Aaron upended his pillow, revealing only the sheets underneath.

“You mean your blindfold?" Jess smirked.

“It's not a blindfold, it's a—" Aaron dropped the pillow and directed an accusing stare toward his wife. “Where did you hide it?"

She giggled. “It's in a dark, dangerous place," she said dramatically, wiggling her fingers for effect, “You'll never find it in a thousand years!"

“Uh huh," Aaron said, unimpressed. He walked straight to her dresser and pulled his sleeping mask out of Jess's underwear drawer.

“Aww, how'd you know?" She flopped onto the queen-sized mattress and stretched, failing to hide a grin.

Aaron waggled the sleep mask at her as he made his way back to the bed. “For some reason you always have the impression that I'm afraid of your underwear—" He paused as he flopped down next to her, “—even though I do your laundry." He poked her arm to drive the point home.

As they both nestled themselves under the covers, Aaron pulled the mask onto his forehead, keeping his eyes uncovered to take one more look at his wife. He always found her beautiful. Her brown hair wasn't long or shiny or straight or even curly. It was some weird mix of it all, wanting to be straight at the top but starting to curl every which way at her neck. She'd always complained about it when trying to brush it, but he liked it. It was like her peculiar habit of wearing blue jeans under a short dress. It was odd, but it fit her.

Aaron himself wasn't much of a looker. At least, he didn't think so. But Jess strongly disagreed with that notion of his. As flustered as that made him, it also made him happy. She always had a way of making him feel good about himself, even when he thought it wasn't possible.

He took in a deep breath and let out the day in a long sigh. “Good night, Jess. I love you," he said.

“I love you too, Aaron," she returned his gaze, smiled, and gave him a gentle kiss. “Sweet dreams."

Aaron delayed a moment to take comfort in the depths of her green eyes. He could always see so far into those eyes. It was like a window into a vast green field, and everywhere you looked, there was Jess. Finally, he sighed and pulled down the mask, letting darkness take him. He heard Jess turn the lamp off, and soon they were both asleep.

***

Aaron managed to stop his alarm clock in his half-awake state. He didn't feel like he got very good sleep. He pulled his sleep mask off and rubbed his eyes. “Ugh. Morning," he groaned toward his wife's side of the bed, “At least it's friday."

After receiving no response, he looked over, blinking his eyes a few times to focus.

No Jess.

He looked across the room to the bathroom, but the door was wide open and the lights were off. No Jess.

A loud bump came from the living room, as if a sleepy, stumbling jess bumped into the mail table, causing it to hit the wall.

Aaron sighed in relief, realizing he'd been getting worried. He'd always worried a bit too easily. “Morning, Jess," he called out toward the hallway, rubbing his head.

When the beast appeared in the hallway, Aaron's mind went into overdrive.

It stopped in the doorway, only revealing its front legs and head. Its snout was raised, apparently sniffing the air. This was all Aaron had time to process before his instincts kicked into gear.

“What the fuck!" he heard himself whisper as he vaulted over the bed, ran into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. He didn't even remember shutting it. He might have thought he was still dreaming if his heart wasn't pounding so hard. What the hell was something like that doing in their apartment?

Where was Jess?

His adrenaline was the only thing keeping his heart from stopping in fear. Did it attack her? He didn't notice any blood. Wouldn't he have heard that and woken up? He should call 911. “Shit!", he whispered to himself, realizing he left his phone on his bedside table.

A noise came from the bedroom. A beastly sound, like a wolf's howl mixed with a lion's growl. It only lasted a second, but it made him jump and back away from the door. “Shit!" he shouted as his back hit the bathroom wall.

The bedroom grew silent. Aaron was breathing heavily, trying to keep the sound of his breath quiet as it rushed through his head like a storm. Several seconds passed. It felt like forever.

“...Aaron?" Jess's voice came muffled through the door.

“Jess!" he whispered as loudly as he could, flooded with relief and yet filled with renewed fear, “There's a freaking beast in the house!"

“What? ...What the hell?"

“Get your phone and call 911. I'll let you in here with me," he said, approaching the door.

“Aaron…"

“Get your phone! I'm not joking!" His hands were shaking as he unlocked it.

“I don't..."

Aaron pulled the door open enough to see the bedside table that held his phone on the other side of the bed. And there, sitting in front of the bed, staring directly at him, was the beast.

“Fuck!" he shouted as he slammed the door closed, fumbling with the lock. “It's right outside the bathroom door, Jess!"

She shouted angrily, “For fuck's sake, it's me, Aaron! I'm the beast!"

He froze. It felt like his brain short-circuited. “...What?"

“I'm… a beast." She sounded uncertain.

Aaron was still for several seconds, then slowly turned the doorknob. Hands still shaking, he opened it just a crack and looked out at the beast his wife's voice claimed to be. The early morning darkness made it difficult to make out details, but there was enough light to see what it was. It was sitting awkwardly on the floor, its hind legs jumbled underneath it like a cat who couldn't decide whether to sit or lie down. Its long tail was carelessly sprawled out across the carpet. It held its front end up with its front paws firmly placed on the floor, bringing its head up to the level of his stomach. Two large, furry ears grew from either side of its head, and two curved horns rose up between them. The whole creature was covered in fur, a pattern of white and grey, and a mane trailed from the back of its neck to the tip of its tail. It was looking directly at him.

“Jess?" he asked doubtfully, ready to slam the door closed at any moment.

“Yeah," the beast trembled, “it's me." It was her voice.

He opened the door a bit more. “...what?"

“I don't know! I just woke up like this." She looked down at the paws that were holding her up. There were five digits in the general shape of a hand, but each one was short and ended in a sharp, black claw. Her neck was long enough to reach them if she wanted to, even when she was holding herself upright. “I... don't know what's going on."

It was definitely her voice, but it had a subtle animalistic quality to it now that he was paying attention.

Aaron finally opened the door all the way, letting some morning light trickle onto her from the eastern bathroom windows, and she met his gaze. He could always tell what was going on behind Jess's eyes, that green field revealing the beautiful, glowing mind inside.

But this beast's eyes shone blue, and the soft light of the dawn reflected off its irises like a stalking cat. He steeled himself, then took a careful step forward. His heart was in his throat and was still trying to beat its way out of him. Those eyes staring back at him were alien, but as he drew closer, they became just as transparent to him. The green field was gone, replaced by a vibrant blue sky. He saw the fear and confusion in them as they returned his gaze. This beast didn't look at all like his wife, but when the light hit those windows, he couldn't see anyone else.

“Jess… shit." He dragged his hands down his face, trying to get a grip. “Okay, first of all, are you okay? Are you hurt at all?" He looked down at her awkward posture.

“I mean," she said as she looked down again, this time curling her neck around to look at her whole self, “I think I'm okay in that I'm not in any pain." She glanced back up at him with a poor facade of a smile on her snout. “But I'm definitely not okay."

Aaron lowered himself to his knees, coming face-to-face with her. “I'm here, Jess," he said, hesitantly reaching out to hold the side of her head, “I'm here for you. We're going to get through this together, alright?" He ignored the fact that she looked like a beast and slid his hand along her cheek in the way he was so used to doing. Her fur was soft, and her facial structure was so different, but it was still her staring back at him.

Jess nodded her long head, and the smile she wore became a little more real. “Thank you." She looked down at her paws. “But what the hell is this? What are we going to do?"

They sat in silence for a moment. Aaron's mind was racing, trying to comprehend what happened and figure out how to react to it at the same time. “Maybe I should bring you to a hospital?"

“I just turned into some kind of beast, Aaron. I'm pretty sure this isn't me being sick."

He scratched his head. “I'm pretty sure they have people that deal with magical injuries."

“I'm just not comfortable with that right now. I'd rather try to figure out what's going on before putting myself at the mercy of the medical system. I'm still just… trying to comprehend this." She stared at the wall and blinked.

“Okay," he said uncertainly, “Well, I guess I can start by apologizing for screaming and running from you like a baby."

That made her laugh. “I guess I don't blame you, though you were a little scaredy-bitch about it."

“Fair, fair," he replied, holding a hand up in submission. He decided it wasn't a good time to mention just how scary she looked coming from the hallway. “Okay, listen. Let's start by trying to figure out what happened, okay? We can go see if there's anything on the internet that can give us a clue. Sound good?"

“Only if you do the typing." She gestured her head down at her paws.

“Of course I will. You make me type stuff for you all the time," he jabbed. “Come on." He started toward the hallway door.

“Um, Aaron?"

He stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Yeah?"

“I, um, well, hold on…" She looked down, awkwardly pulled her hind legs under her, and pushed herself up. Her back end pushed her front end forward, causing her to trip over her front legs and fall to her stomach halfway through the bathroom door.

“Jess! Are you okay?" he sputtered, rushing to her.

“Ouch." She let her head lay flat on the floor and groaned. “Yeah, okay. I can't deal with four legs just yet."

“Hey, that's alright," he said, trying to be encouraging, “I'll help you figure it out, okay?"

She huffed. “I don't know what you can do about it, but I guess I need all the help I can get."

“Wait." Something was wrong.

“What?"

“I saw you walk in from the hallway."

“Oh…." She lifted her head up, keeping her gaze averted. “I, uh…"

Several seconds passed. “You what?"

“I don't know."

“Jess," Aaron said worriedly, “don't freak me out like this."

“I'm not trying to," she defended, “It's just… I don't think I was awake when that happened."

“What?"

“I think," she added again.

“You're trying to tell me you were sleepwalking?"

“I'm still figuring this out, Aaron! I woke up with the body of some sort of creature, unable to move, and with you locked in the bathroom yelling at me to call the police! I'll tell you everything, just," she let out a sigh, “give me a minute to sort things out in my head first."

He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. “Sorry." He took a deep breath. Something was wrong, something besides the obvious beast in the room, but he was going to have to wait for Jess to sort through things first. He looked at the beast lying in the doorway, staring at the wall deep in thought. This, somehow, was his Jess. His wife. His lover. He trusted her with his life. If she wasn't telling him something, it was because she didn't understand it yet. “Sorry," he repeated, “I trust you."

***

It was an interesting adventure helping to steady Jess on her new feet. Any time she tried to stand on her hind legs, her brain told her she was standing upright and didn't compensate for being on all fours. This caused her to push herself too far forward. That wouldn't be much of a problem, except that since her confused balance centers told her she was standing up straight, her front legs didn't instinctively reach out to hold her up. She had to concentrate on every movement, with Aaron making sure her hind feet were placed correctly, but she was finally able to stand up without wobbling too much.

“Hey, I did it!" She celebrated by wiggling her body slightly, feet still planted firmly on the floor.

“Careful, don't make yourself fall right after we got you up."

“I'm fine! I know how much wiggle I can handle," she said, raising her head in a smug dismissal.

“Well it'd make me more comfortable if you used your tail to help you balance." They both looked at the long tube of fur that lay motionless on the floor behind her.

“Listen, I'm not adding another limb to the list I'm keeping track of. This is hard enough as it is." Her tail seemed to pull closer to her defensively.

“Alright, alright. Well, do you think you can take a step?"

“Give me a minute. I'm trying to lock this position into my brain so I can remember how to stand. Then I'll try to walk."

Aaron watched her in silence. The morning light was stronger now, and he noticed there was a faint blue hue to her back and mane. They had looked grey in the darkness before. She started wiggling again, then stopped. The look on her face was one of intense concentration.

“You're doing great, honey" Aaron teased.

She grinned. “Oh shut up. You'd have fallen on your face ten times by now."

“I would have at least moved forward when I fell instead of standing in the same place."

“This is difficult!"

“I know, I know," he laughed. “I'm just giving you a hard time."

“Like always." she grumbled playfully. Suddenly, she lifted her right foreleg and quickly placed it back down ahead of her. Her body wobbled for a moment before steadying. “Ha! I did it!" She looked pleased with herself.

“Good job! Now you just need to do that about a hundred more times to get to the office."

“Oh ha ha…" she froze and her eyes grew wide. “Oh… fuck."

“What is it?" Aaron readied himself for anything.

“We're late for work."

He wasn't ready for that. He busted out into laughter.

“What the hell, Aaron? We were saving our vacation days for our anniversary and you used up all your sick time already from the flu!" She looked back at Aaron, keeping her feet firmly planted. He was just sitting on the bed, laughing. “Aaron!"

“I'm sorry," he said, calming himself. “It was just so… absurd."

“Just… look, I guess there's nothing we can do about saving the vacation time. But I need you to call in for both of us, okay?"

“Okay." Aaron stood up and shook himself sober. “What's your work's number?"

“It's on the important contacts note in my purse."

“Alright, just… stay there," he said stifling a laugh.

She just glared.

***

“You're learning quick." Aaron stood ahead of Jess and watched her take one step after another, using all four feet.

“Yeah, once I did it the first time, repeating the process was pretty simple." Jess had made it into the hallway, and it had only taken her 30 minutes. “I don't even have to concentrate as much. I think my brain is getting used to this a little. Not that that isn't a little scary."

“Hey, don't worry. It's just until we figure out what's going on and get you changed back. I've been thinking about what might have caused this. I mean, I don't have any real ideas yet, but I think you look a lot like a dragon."

“Is that supposed to be a compliment?" she asked, taking another step.

“No, I just mean…"

“I'm joking." She rolled her eyes. Suddenly, she stumbled, but barely caught herself.

“Whoa, you okay?"

“Yeah… just don't don't make me roll my eyes at you again. It made me lose my balance."

“You know I can't promise that."

“Ugh, you're right. Anyway, I don't think I look much like a dragon. Dragons are huge and have scales and wings, right?" She readied herself and tried another step. Steady.

“Most do, yeah, but I'm pretty sure I've heard of furred dragons. And some dragons can shapeshift into smaller forms, right?"

“And wings?" she repeated. Another step down.

“Look, I don't know! I'm just telling you what I think. From what I've seen about them, a lot of your features resemble a dragon."

She finally reached the office door. “Turn time." she said to herself before beginning the process of turning her body toward the doorway. “So you think I'm a dragon, then?"

“Maybe. I don't know why you are, but that's what I'm leaning towards."

“Maybe."

After a few minutes, Jess settled herself into a sitting position near the computer. Her hind legs were much less awkwardly placed this time. Aaron sat down in front of the computer and smiled at her. “Let's figure out what's going on. Together, okay?" He held out his hand.

She frowned at the hand. Then, concentrating, she lifted her right forepaw and placed it gently on top. She stayed steady.

Aaron held her paw. It was soft. There were pads on the bottom like a huge cat's paw, and the fur on the top was smooth. Her claws brushed against his palm, but they weren't very sharp. He stroked the fur with his thumb.

She suddenly pulled it away and placed it back on the floor. She stared down at the carpet.

“Sorry… did I do something wrong?" He was worried. He didn't know exactly how she felt about all of this still. She still hadn't mentioned the sleepwalking again. He'd been trying to act nonchalant about it all, thinking that worrying over her too much would smother her. Jess liked time and room to think about things.

“No…" she lifted her paw again to examine it. “No. I'm just…"

The silence just made him more worried.

“Tell me what you're thinking, Jess," he pleaded. “Please."

“Okay." She breathed deeply. “I know I said I'd tell you when I sorted it out in my head, but I didn't. Because I'm scared of it."

Aaron's heart stung a bit at that. “It's… alright, Jess. But don't keep it to yourself, or I won't be able to help. Okay?"

She nodded. “Okay." Another deep breath. “When I first woke up this morning, I…" Her mouth hung open as she searched for the right words. “...I wasn't myself."

Aaron listened patiently, which was difficult for him considering what he just heard.

“It's hard to put into words, too. It was like I was just an animal. Or whatever this thing is," she pointed to her head with a paw, then barely caught herself from falling over. “Ugh. Sorry."

“It's okay." Aaron just tried to take it all in and process it. “Keep going."

“Alright." She shifted a little. “I remember getting up and walking around the apartment. I think I was… smelling things, like I was making sure there weren't any intruders or something."

“How long were you like that before I got up?"

“I don't know. These memories are really vague. The only other things I remember are walking into the bedroom and lots of confusion."

“That's when I ran screaming."

She snorted. “Yeah. And somewhere in that confusion, I became 'me' again, and it was like I had just woken up from a weird dream."

“And that's when you stopped being able to walk?"

“Yeah, I guess so." Her head dropped low. “Fuck… I should have told you right away."

“Jess, it's okay. You needed time to process things. We both did."

“I'm so sorry." Her eyes shut tight, and the fur underneath them was wet. “What if I had become like that again, and you didn't know?"

Aaron reached down and stroked her neck. “Then I would have taken care of you until you changed back again so you could tell me."

“You don't know that. What if I attack you? What if I'm dangerous? I shouldn't be in here with you..."

“I trust you, Jess."

“But it wasn't me," she retorted.

Aaron didn't know how to respond to that. They spent a few moments in silence, Aaron stroking Jess's neck as she sniffled. He didn't know if touching her like this was a good idea, but she seemed to be allowing it, and he needed to. He couldn't separate himself from her right now, even if she was dangerous.

“I'm not going to lock you up, Jess. I'm here to help you through this, and that means staying by your side. I don't know if you're dangerous or not, but I do know that you're a fighter. If that beast comes out and wants to hurt me, I know you'll stop it."

She turned her head slightly to glance up at him. “What if I can't?"

“Then you'll slow it enough so that I can lock you in the bathroom until you're back to normal. How's that?" He smiled at her.

She frowned down at the floor again for a moment. Finally, she raised her head back up and met his gaze. “You're too good, you know that?" She sniffled.

“Not as good as you, Jess." He put his hand to her cheek again. “You're gonna be okay. Okay?"

She swallowed and closed her eyes. “Okay."

“Jess?"

She opened them again.

“I love you."

She smiled and sniffled as a beaded tear rolled down her cheek. “I love you too."

“Let's figure this out. Together?" He pulled his hand from her and held it open.

She smiled at it, raised her paw, and placed it in his hand. “Together."

***

“You're still thinking dragon?" Jess asked as Aaron clicked on a link titled 'Dragon (disambiguation)'.

“We gotta start somewhere. I mean, you have horns and everything," Aaron said, skimming over the wiki article.

“I don't have 'and everything'."

“Yeah, yeah, let's see…" He scrolled down the page, noting potential links. Dragon (species), Dragon (language)...

“Just go to the species page already."

“Alright, alright," he groaned and clicked on the Dragon (species) link. He looked through the History section of the table of contents. Origins, Early dragons, Feral period, Early Modern period, Modern dragons…

“There's a whole section on dragon magic, at least," Jess said, “I mean, I don't want to jump to conclusions or anything, but I think there might be some magic involved in this."

“Wow, you think so?" Aaron replied flatly, jumping to the section on magic and skimming through.

“Ugh, I wish I paid more attention in magic class."

“You had a magic class?" Aaron asked, “Mine was mixed in with science."

“That's what I meant," she replied.

“Well I doubt we went over anything that would help with this. Unless…"

“What? Did you think of something?" Jess raised her head.

“Maybe. I just remembered something." He found a section titled Curse and mumbled as he skimmed. “Curse, also known as a Dragon Curse or Feral Curse…"

“Oh, that?" said Jess, reading along, “No, I remember a bit about that, actually. An actual, real dragon has to do it to you, and it only works on Drakkin because they're related to dragons. And the curse doesn't turn them into animals, just gives them more dragon-like bodies or whatever. I'm pretty sure one of my history professors was one."

“What, really?"

“Yeah, he was like nine feet tall and had wings. I've told you about him before, you goldfish."

“You know goldfish don't actually have five-second memories, they can actually—"

“Stuff it, Aaron."

“Fine. Well, it says here that it's rare, but it can affect humans, too. And…"

“And what?" Jess asked, trying to find where he was reading. Aaron was quiet, and just pointed at the screen.

Potential effects on humans include draconic metamorphosis, parallel magical manifestation, and parallel primitive mental junction.

“What the hell does all that mean?" Jess sounded worried.

Aaron opened all three links in new windows. “Well, draconic metamorphosis is about what it sounds like. You turn into a dragon, or something like it."

“Obviously. It says you get the wings, though."

“Right," Aaron continued, “Parallel magical manifestation…" he took a moment to read, “is where you manifest some of the magical ability of the dragon that cursed you. Hey, that might be pretty neat."

“Yeah, well I haven't noticed any of that," she grumbled.

“And the last thing…" Seconds passed in silence as they read. “So, this is using a lot of technical terms, but I think it basically means that the primitive part of the dragon's mind gets copied onto yours."

Aaron looked at Jess. She kept a straight face and re-read over the text.

“That does sound like it could have something to do with what you experienced this morning," he said softly.

“Yeah, I guess. But this obviously isn't the curse."

“How can you be sure, Jess?"

“Because, Aaron," she replied, leaning into his name, “I don't have wings, I don't have any magic, and maybe I missed something, but I don't remember a random dragon breaking in to our apartment and cursing me!"

Aaron stayed quiet.

Jess's whole body relaxed as she exhaled. “Sorry. I guess I mainly don't want it to be. I see that there are similarities, but I just don't see how it could be. Dragons don't just go around cursing people. Can't they only do it once or something?"

“Yeah, it says they only have one." He scrolled back to make sure he remembered right.

“And a normal dragon wouldn't just curse someone for no reason, and there aren't any feral dragons in this part of the country. Definitely not in the city."

“I agree, but we should keep it in mind. If it's not that, it's probably something similar."

“Yeah, I guess."

They were both silent for a few minutes while Aaron read more on dragons.

“Aaron?"

“Yeah?"

“I'll be right back." She focused and moved her hind legs backward before standing up fully. She was getting better at it.

“Where are you going?" Aaron backed up his chair, ready to get up if needed.

“If you have to know, I'm going to use the bathroom." She kept her head pointed at the floor, watching her feet as she carefully turned.

“Oh. Uh, do you need… help?"

“No," she said forcefully.

“Okay…" He watched as she slowly made her way out of the office, wobbling back and forth with her tail hanging down like a sack of beans. She looked to be okay enough to walk around the house now, albeit slowly, but Aaron was worried about her response to being helped. Was there something in what they read? Sure, it's not fun to hear you might be cursed, but what they read didn't exactly change what they already knew. He turned back to the computer, deciding to give her space. She hadn't had any since that morning. He turned his focus toward learning more about dragons.

***

“Jess? You alright in there?" Aaron called through the bathroom door. He wanted to give her space, but it had been 30 minutes, and his worry got the better of him.

A long sigh came through the door. “Yes, I'm alright."

Relief. She was still herself. “Okay. Just… let me know if you need help, alright?"

“I handled myself okay. I've just been examining myself in the mirror."

“Oh, I guess you would want to do that, wouldn't you?" He laughed to himself. She usually spent a little while prettying herself up in the morning, though he figured her reasons were a little different this time.

“Oh shush."

“Hey, I wasn't trying to tease you that time. Promise." He heard a snort. “So I got a little more info."

“Yeah?"

“Not much, but something. I found a type of dragon that looks a lot like you."

“...yeah?" she said, uncertain.

“Yeah. Furred, white underbelly, greyish hues on top. Apparently that part can be a few different colors. Oh, and no wings."

“Huh."

“Yeah. They're called Maned Stalkers. They're a kind of beast dragon."

“Beast dragon? Really?"

“They're just the ones with fur, I think," he added quickly.

“So what did you learn about them?"

“Well, apparently they're pretty rare. Most of them are civilized now, but there are a few feral ones left. They're not from around here, though."

“Hm."

“Yeah, and unfortunately there are so few of them that their magic isn't fully understood. Apparently it's closely related with the actual curse, and has to do with projecting their instincts or something. But it does say that they're extremely effective hunters because of it."

“Well that's comforting."

“I'm just happy we're learning more about this. The more we know, the better we can deal with it."

“I guess."

“Jess. We're going to figure it out together, remember?"

“...yeah."

“I love you, Jess."

“I love you too, Aaron." She sounded a little better.

He smiled. “May I come in?"

“No," she said quickly.

“Oh…" He really wasn't expecting a no. “Okay, then," he added dejectedly.

“Oh god damn it." She sounded anguished. Aaron's fear spiked. “I need to tell you, don't I? Fuck."

He decided to listen and resist the urge to say anything. A few deep breaths, claws clacking against the laminate tile floor.

“Alright." Another deep breath. “Come in."

Aaron gently opened the door. Jess was sitting in front of the counter, looking into the mirror at herself. Her sitting posture had improved. Her hind legs were more or less in place under her this time rather than sticking out. “I'm here, Jess," he said. He didn't know what else to say, so he just looked at her through the mirror. She looked back.

“So," she said.

He watched her, waiting. He tried to show that he was listening.

“So," she repeated, looking back at herself through the mirror. “There's one more thing that I've sort of been hiding. It's the last thing, I promise."

“Okay."

“How in the world do I…" she trailed off for a moment. “...Okay. I didn't want to tell you because I thought, hey, it doesn't really matter. And we're going to fix all of this anyway, so it's a moot point. But really I'm just… embarrassed." She dropped her head and butted the cabinet with her horns.

“That's all?" Aaron relaxed. “Jess, it's fine to be embarrassed. You don't have to hide that from—"

“Damn it, Aaron, I wasn't hiding the fact that I was embarrassed!" She pushed her horns harder against the cabinet. “I'm… male."

He just stared at her horns as they made small indents in the wood of the cabinet door. “As in…"

“Yes."

“You have a…"

“Yes."

“And you don't have a…"

“Yes."

A few seconds passed in silence.

“You don't sound any different."

“Oh, I guess I'm wrong, then," she replied, unimpressed.

“Sorry," he said quickly. He rubbed his eyes as he took it in. “Well, look," he reasoned, “you've already become a dragon. I'd say this is a pretty minor change compared to that."

“It doesn't feel minor to me."

“You said before that it didn't really matter."

“I was trying to convince myself of that." She pulled her head up and looked directly at him. Her annoyed shell was cracking, and her eyes were growing wet. “What if I'm stuck like this?"

“You're not going to be. We're going to figure it out. I'll call someone out to help."

“There's no hotline for stuff like this."

“I'll find someone to call. I promise."

Her eyes trailed off. “...Okay."

“Jess, I love you. Even if you never change back, I'll stay with you."

“Why would you want to?" She stared into the mirror. “I'm not pretty like this. I'm not capable of being a supportive wife. I can't even walk right. There's no way I could keep my job even if they somehow ignored that I'm a beast."

“We'll figure out something. We have some savings just in case. And you look just fine. It's not what I'm used to, sure, but I'm still in love with you."

She laughed with skepticism. “You're not even gay, let alone into interspecies sex."

“So what? I love you way more than I love sex, Jess. Hell, I'd even try it with you." He placed a hand on her cheek, pulling her gaze up to meet his. “I know I can be stupid sometimes, but not right now. I'm here for you, Jess," he placed his finger on her head, “no matter what you look like."

“But… what if I become, you know, feral again? That's not me."

“We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he said matter-of-factly, “Regardless, I won't be tossing you out when the dragon takes over. I'll be here to help you fight it."

A smile creeped into her face. “How can you be so stupid and so wonderful at the same time?"

“Practice."

She laughed. “Sounds about right." Her head turned back to her reflection.

Aaron watched her for a few moments. “What are you thinking?"

“I don't know, just trying to figure out if I look like a boy dragon or a girl dragon."

“Beats me. I haven't seen enough of them."

Another moment passed. Suddenly, Aaron got down on his knees beside her and began stroking the length of her neck.

She looked back at him and raised her brow. “What are you doing?"

“I'm loving on my wife." He let his hand slide down from her neck to her back. “You love it when I give you back rubs."

“This isn't a back rub. This is petting. You're petting me." She sounded annoyed, but her neck subtly pressed back into Aaron's hand.

“And you're enjoying it." He started scratching between her ear and her horn, where he felt like a dog would like to be scratched.

“I am not… Ooh, god damn it." She leaned into his scratches. He grinned and used his other hand to scratch the other side. Her neck stretched out and twisted, her eyes rolling back a little. “I hate you for this…"

His hands explored down her back, digging into her thick blue mane as they went. He scratched between her shoulder blades for a moment, then continued down, only to return after Jess let out a short whine. Jess was liking this more than he thought. He was glad. She deserved to feel good after dealing with all of this, even if it was a bit odd. He didn't know what to think of her being male yet, but it was easy to ignore for the moment. Superficial, even. She was the same woman he fell in love with, even if she was temporarily a male beast dragon.

He slid his arms around her, getting under her chin and on her chest. She didn't say anything, but a faint, deep purr began to build inside her. When he finally stopped, she seemed to realize and turned off her motor, looking a bit sheepish.

Aaron laughed. “You're surprisingly cute, you know that?"

She glared at him. “I don't know if I should be insulted at the cute or the surprisingly." Her glare shifted into a smile, and she took a deep breath. “Thanks for that. It felt good to be touched. I think I was subconsciously afraid that you were disgusted by me or something."

“Why in the world would I be disgusted?"

“Because I'm a freaking dragon. And I'm male."

He shrugged. “Dragons are pretty cool, and I've been around plenty of guys in my life."

“Yeah, but I bet you haven't ever given any of them a treatment like that."

“Well…" He feigned uncertainty, putting his finger on his chin.

“You better not have!" she laughed. “No petting any guys except for me."

“But Mush is such a good boy!" he whined playfully, thinking of their neighbor's dog.

“Well, maybe Mush," she conceded. Her hind paws bundled up beneath her, then stepped backward as she stood up on all fours. “I think I'm going to lay down on the bed. I've been walking and sitting on the floor all day."

“Hey you're getting pretty good at that getting up business."

“Yeah, it's getting easier," she said, turning toward him and the door. “I'm actually feeling pretty comfortable right now. Maybe it was the scratches." Her voice trailed off.

“Well I'm glad. You go have a rest, and I'll do a little more research. Sound good?"

“Yeah, good…" She wobbled a little, staring past him. “Really comfortable…"

“Jess? You okay?"

She looked up at him. Her tail lifted and snaked behind her before stopping suddenly. Her ears pulled back, then raised up next to her horns. A low rumble escaped her throat.

“Jess…?" Aaron took a step back. His heart started pounding. The creature that looked up at him wasn't Jess. The eyes were different. The blue looked more like a wall than a window. “Shit," he whispered, then shut the bathroom door with the beast still inside.

***

Aaron stood outside the master bathroom, body frozen and mind in a panic. Jess was feral again. At least this time, she was the one in the bathroom.

No, not Jess. This was the other. The feral dragon mind. He was in the bathroom. Aaron tried to collect his thoughts. What should he do? It would be best if he could keep him trapped in the bathroom until Jess came back, but there was no telling how long that would take, and he could open the door from the inside even if Aaron didn't forget to lock it.

A rumbling growl came from the bathroom, causing him to start. It was like a giant beastial meow that said, “Hello, I have very large teeth and sharp claws." He would believe it even if he hadn't already seen them.

Maybe he wasn't dangerous. Maybe he just wanted to be let out of the bathroom. No, don't be stupid, he thought. There was no reason to take that chance. He could lock himself in the office and try to find someone to call. He couldn't call the police, they might hurt her. Him. But he could find someone else.

The plan wasn't very good, and he'd wished he thought about this more earlier. However, before he could get his body to start moving, the doorknob turned.

Aaron froze even more, if that was possible. Running felt like a very bad idea. Wild animals always seemed to chase when something ran. He stayed completely still as the door jerkily pulled open.

The beast looked at him through the open door, putting his paw back on the floor.

Well, he can open doors.

He padded forward, stopping just short of Aaron's frozen form. His nose rose up to sniff the air around him. Aaron's heart pounded.

Then the beast chuffed, turned and gracefully headed out into the hallway, hitting Aaron with his thick tail as he did, knocking him onto the bed. He didn't seem to care. In fact it seemed like he meant to knock him down.

Aaron sat there for a moment to calm down. The beast didn't attack him. Well, not really attack him. That was some very good news, considering that he was now loose in the apartment. He needed to keep him from escaping, though. And to do that, he needed to keep him distracted. That meant going in there with him.

Okay, he thought, you can do this. That beast in there is holding Jess hostage, even if he doesn't know it. You can get her back out. He hardened himself, then got up and started for the hallway. Maybe you should have thought about this more before starting to walk, you moron. Too late. His feet were carrying him.

He found the beast in the living room, sitting and licking his hind leg like a cat. His draconic equipment was in full view. Jess is gonna kill you for showing those off, he thought at him.

Okay. Here goes.

“Um, Dragon," he said shakily. Nice start.

'Dragon' stopped grooming and looked at him for a moment, then promptly resumed his licking. Maybe it would be better to try talking directly to Jess. She was in there somewhere.

“Jess," he said more confidently.

The beast started on his other leg.

“Jess, I know you're in there." He took a step forward. “You need to wake back up, okay?"

An eye glanced his way, making his heart skip. He seemed to consider him, but he didn't stop his grooming.

“Come on, Jess. What made you wake up last time?"

The beast suddenly stood up, then stretched, his forelegs shoved out in front of him. Aaron stayed frozen as he pulled himself out of his stretch and jumped up onto the couch. After sniffing it a moment, he flopped onto his side. He was sprawled over the whole sofa, tail hanging off one end and head off the other. His head quickly raised up to look at Aaron.

Aaron waited for something to happen, but nothing did. The dragon just stared at him, occasionally glancing around but always returning to him.

He took a cautious step forward. He kept staring. Another, and another, until he was close enough to touch him. At the last step, a friendly churr greeted him.

“You're… not too wild, are you?" he asked, carefully reaching a hand out toward the dragon's head. His head pressed up against his hand, his eyes closed, and a familiar rumbling began to grow.

Aaron spent a moment petting the dragon's head. He had just been doing something similar to the very same dragon, only before it was also his wife. “You're a good boy, aren't you? You know, I told my wife I wouldn't pet any other guys except for her, but since you share the same body, I'll make an exception."

He moved his petting to the dragon's neck. He made that churring sound again and pressed his neck against his hand, just like Jess did. “You know, you probably don't know anything about this, but you kind of took over Jess's body, and we need you to give it back, okay?"

The beast just continued purring.

Aaron sighed. “You can't even understand me. Well, we'll figure out something, Okay?" He moved to pet his chest, and the beast curled on its back to help him reach it. His eyes opened and blinked at him. Now that he was closer, Aaron could see the dragon's blue eyes more clearly. They weren't obviously Jess's like they were before, but he could see that, somewhere underneath that feral blue, Jess was hiding.

“Jess, if you can hear me…" a lump caught in his throat, and he swallowed. “I love you so much. You're going to be okay. I'm gonna make sure you're okay."

The beast stared back into him. Aaron knew he didn't understand, but he seemed to know there was something meaningful going on.

A strange thought struck him, and he laughed. He leaned down and kissed the top of the dragon's head. He didn't really think it'd make any difference, but he watched too many fairy tales when he was little not to give it a try. He continued rubbing the beast's furry chest as he stared back up at him. Suddenly he raised his head and licked Aaron on the mouth.

Aaron sputtered and wiped his face with his sleeve, laughing. “Okay, no need for all that." He sighed. “I guess I really had the wrong idea about you."

A new movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. Glancing over, he found a bit of pink poking out of the beast's white, furred sheath. “Oh, no no no," Aaron said, pulling his hands away from his chest. “Now you're getting the wrong idea."

He stood up to defuse the awkward situation when something hit him. He wasn't sure how to describe it, or even what it was, but something happened. He looked down at the beast sprawled on the couch below him—the beast that was his wife. He hadn't felt any sexual attraction to Jess's dragon form at all, but now for some reason it hit him hard. It reminded him of when Jess would lay out on the bed, waiting for him. Those deep, green eyes calling to him.

“This is crazy," he said to himself, taking a step back. The beast let out a low churr like he did before, but this time every part of Aaron's body lit up in response. His heart pounded, his breath quickened, and an erection quickly pressed against his pants. That churr was just a noise, but he felt the meaning behind it. It was an invitation.

The beast looked up at him hopefully. He was still on its back, tail hanging lazily over the edge of the couch, presenting himself. His beasthood was now fully erect, and it drew Aaron's attention. It wasn't remotely human, with a bulbous base, a pointed tip, and several ridges along the shaft. Aaron had never been into dicks, so why was this one so attractive? There was something about the dragon that just seemed right. Like he had always been attracted to him. He had been, he supposed, since this beast was his wife.

But it wasn't her now. It was the mind of a feral dragon. A nice, loving feral dragon, but not his wife. Not Jess.

A rumble interrupted his thought. It was a deep, animalistic sound that pierced right into his heart and groin. He wanted his mate.

There were so many things wrong with this. Aaron wasn't this beast's mate. He was Jess's mate. And yet when he looked at the sexy beast on his couch, 'mate' was exactly the word that crossed his mind.

Aaron couldn't bring himself to move. Two parts of him were pulling in different directions. He didn't know what to do. “Jess," he called out helplessly.

A familiar sound came from the dragon's mouth. It was the same one he heard through the bathroom door that morning, and the one he heard through the same door just minutes before. That bestial meow, that rumbling growl.

It was Aaron's name.

The beast had called to him before, and he was calling to him now. He remembered hearing the sound twice before through the bathroom door. The first was filled with fear and confusion, the second with curiosity. Now there was love. Love? How could there be?

He looked into the beast's eyes again, answering to his name. The blue in his eyes weren't walls anymore. Maybe they never were, and he was just too afraid to look closely enough. But now he looked deep into them, and saw something familiar and comforting. It drew him closer, onto his knees. It was a vast blue sky, and everywhere he looked, there she was.

“Jess," he said, “It's you."

Jess licked Aaron's mouth and sounded his name again. He could feel all the love Jess had for him in that sound. He leaned in and kissed the beast on the mouth, letting his tongue go where it pleased. He didn't care that Jess was a beast, or that she was a he. In fact, it felt right. He wondered briefly if the dragon's magic did that to him, but he didn't care anymore. He may be a feral, draconic version of Jess, but he was Jess.

He was Jess.

As Aaron tasted his lover's mouth, Jess began to purr. It was a deeper, slower purr that made his mind go wild. He could feel himself slipping further into animalistic feelings that seemed so right. Mate. Jess was his beautiful, handsome mate, and he was his. He embraced it.

Aaron found himself on top of him, caressing his body, trading tongues, and feeling that cock against his own. He couldn't remember taking off his clothes. Maybe Jess shredded them. He didn't care. A beast didn't need clothes.

He pressed himself against Jess's cock, feeling the rumble of his purr in it. It felt so right on him. Jess could finally fuck his mate like the beast he was. He slid up Jess's long body, letting his fur caress his cock. He felt Jess's dance against his ass. It was slick, drooling in anticipation since that first kiss.

He never tried anal before. That's all he thought about it before he happily pressed back against it, eager to be mated for the first time. Jess growled and held him tightly with his forepaws as he began to thrust. They were short, gentle thrusts, only made better by his growls. Jess's cock filled him, little by little. It hurt some, but in a way that made the pleasure all the better. Aaron found himself making his own bestial noises as they fucked. Deep, draconic mating growls. He didn't know if it was even possible for a human to make those noises. He didn't care. He was a beast.

He felt something approaching from deep within him. He arched his back and let out a howl. He felt Jess's body react, her cock swelling inside him, and he joined in the howl. Aaron's beasthood unleashed his seed, marking his mate with spurt after spurt, while Jess's heat filled his insides.

He collapsed on his mate, wrapping his arms around him and pressing his nose into his neck. He could feel his seed in the fur under his belly. It made him proud. He took a deep breath, relishing in the scent of his mate.

He fell asleep there, along with his mate. Two feral beasts, one human, one dragon.

***

“Hey."

Aaron groaned. “Five more minutes."

“Aaron."

“Hm?" Aaron opened his eyes.

He was in bed, naked, but under the covers. The late afternoon sun was creeping along the sheets, and a dragon sat by the bed, judging him.

“Jess?" He propped himself up on his elbow, trying to get his eyes to focus.

“Got anything to say for yourself?"

The memory hit him like a ton of bricks. “Holy shit."

She just stared at him.

He tried to think of something, anything to say that would even begin to explain. “Do you… remember, then?"

“You better be fucking glad I remember!" She put her forepaws on the bed to raise herself over him. “If I'd woken up smelling like sex with your cum matting up my fur and not remembered, I might have bitten your head clean off! And I'm pretty sure I could actually do that now, I'll remind you." She showed off her sharp teeth as she spoke to emphasize.

He shrank down. “Sorry…"

She calmed herself down and dropped her height a bit. She let out a draconic huff.

“So… what exactly do you remember?"

“Most of it, I think. I remember you petting me. That felt good." She averted her gaze toward the comforter. “Then I remember you calling me Jess and kissing my head. I didn't understand any of the other words you said, but somehow I knew you were calling my name." Fur covered her face, but Aaron knew she was blushing.

“So it was you." His heart fluttered, though he couldn't place why.

“Yeah. I might not have realized it myself if you hadn't called to me like that. It's weird, having your mind in that state. What you are changes completely, but who you are stays."

“Yeah, I think I got a taste of that, thanks to you and your dragon magic."

She looked back to him. “Is that what it did to you? I remember using it on you because you seemed nervous for some reason, and I wanted to make you more comfortable with me."

“Well, it certainly made me more comfortable with you."

“In what way?"

“In a 'fuck being human I'm a gay beast who's into gay beasts' sort of way."

She raised her eyebrows and stared at the wall. “Ah, well then. Um, sorry about that."

“It's okay, Jess. I'm just glad it was you."

They sat in silence for a moment.

“Wait." Aaron looked around, suddenly puzzled. “How did I get in here, anyway?"

“I carried you in here," she said, rolling her eyes.

“You did? How?"

“Well, he did. The feral me."

“How?" he repeated. “And why?"

“Because I knew this is where we slept. I guess it's just one of those things I know in my subconscious or something."

“How?" he implored.

She glared at him. “Well it wasn't easy. You'd be surprised how well I can walk on my hind legs when I'm that way." She sounded oddly proud of herself. “You should be glad feral Jess was feeling all lovey-dovey for you, because actual Jess is thinking she should have left you on the floor."

“Aww, you do love me."

“Stuff it, you." She grinned. There was another momentary silence, and Jess dug at the covers nervously with her paw. “So…"

“So what?"

“So I guess I fucked you in the ass." She looked up as if to count the five blades of the ceiling fan.

“Yeah. I guess you did." Aaron stared at the comforter.

“...So how was it?"

“Um." He shifted uncomfortably, suddenly very aware of how sore he felt down there. “Well, I was kind of under the influence of your magic at the time."

“So, good then?"

“...Yeah."

“Good."

“And you?"

She looked down at the comforter again. “Yeah."

“Good?"

“Yeah."

Silence again.

“Jess?"

She reluctantly looked at him again.

“I'm… glad it happened."

“Really?" Jess looked genuinely surprised.

“Yeah, well, I don't have to worry about a feral dragon taking you over and eating me now."

“Heh, I guess you're right."

“And…" He could feel himself blushing. “...and I'd never felt anything like that before."

“You mean the magic?" She watched him with interest.

“That, and everything else. When I realized it was actually you, I just… nothing mattered except that you were there with me. I didn't care about what you were or what your magic was doing to me. That scares me a little bit, but I loved it."

She tried to hide the smile that snuck up the corner of her mouth. “I'm… glad." She paused a moment, then raised herself a bit. “But don't get used to it. We're getting rid of this dumb dragon in my head."

“You're not dumb, Jess."

“He is." She chuffed. “Barely knows his own name."

“Well he is smart in other ways," he defended.

She turned to nothing in particular and stuck her long tongue out.

“But you're right. We have work on monday, and you can't be randomly going feral. Plus, you'll need your hands to type, I'm sure."

“Yeah, that's why I need to change back. Because I need to type."

“Among other things." He grinned.

She grinned back. “Then we'll do it together."

Their eyes met. Those blue windows were as open as ever. Everything he loved about her was there in that blue. It made everything okay.

“What's that dopey smile about?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, “You're not still feeling any effects, are you?"

“No, unless thinking you're beautiful is one of the effects." he smiled at her.

“Um, I think it was?" She looked worried for him.

“I was trying to be romantic, Jess."

“Sounds to me like you were just being gay."

He groaned.

“Aaron?"

“What?" he muttered.

“Thank you." She smiled. “It feels nice."

“What does?"

“Being called beautiful."

He smiled back. “Well, you are."

She leaned over and gave his cheek a small lick. “Go get a shower. You stink. And make us something to eat. I'm starving and I can't cook anything."

He groaned again.

“Stop groaning and get up. You still have to find someone to call about figuring me out."

“I can groan if I want. I have two pains in my ass and they're both from you."

“Ugh, just get up." She dropped to all fours and wobbled her way to the hallway.

Aaron sat up. “Jess?"

She stopped and looked back, teetering in place.

“I love you."

She smiled, and those windows flooded with light. “I love you too."