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Cold. It's so cold.
Drayton is used to the cold. He likes it more than any normal person should. In the Polar Biome, he wanders without a coat, letting the snow touch his skin without shivering. It's comforting in a way he can't describe.
But this cold is different.
Unlike there, this manages to seep into his core. Drayton finds himself shivering, trembling. He's not imagining things, as much as he wants to believe. When he looks down at his hands, he finds them shaking. Even at the lowest temperature in the Polar Biome, this never happens.
Something is wrong.
If the freezing temperature didn't give it away, then it would be the blinding blizzard. Nothing but white within his field of vision. And when it does clear up, the area is different. A snowstorm isn't unusual, but inside a cave? Not even the snow managed to get this deep into the Chargestone Cavern.
A loud cry- no, a roar, snaps him from his thoughts. He looks up, squinting through the surrounding snow. A giant figure appears from the blizzard. Drayton can barely make the outline of the creature.
With heavy footsteps, it begins its approach. Instinct tells him to run, but he finds his feet frozen to the ground. He can't tell if it's from fear or if they're actually frozen. Despite everything, a part of him wants to hold his ground, stay and fight.
Has this...happened before...?
Drayton draws a blank. Nothing seems to be working right now. His own body isn't listening, isn't moving. A sudden gust of snow blasts towards him, and he barely manages to raise his arms to protect himself from the cold flurry.
After that, the blizzard seems to calm down. Drayton drops his arms, slowly, warily as if waiting for another gust to hit him. Nothing comes, but a shadow is cast over him. When he finally looks up, a giant Pokemon is standing before him.
"Kyurem..."
His eyes widen as the stories of this Legendary Pokemon come flooding into his head. There are many things passed around about this Pokemon, yet never anything concrete. Although there is one overlapping fact in every legend passed down.
Kyurem is dangerous.
The Legendary Pokemon lets out another roar. This one is loud enough that it reverberates off the walls of the cave. Drayton stumbles and falls back, falling into the snow, looking even smaller in front of the dragon.
His gaze narrows on the dragon. A hand moves to his side, intending to get a ball to defend himself. His hand hovers over where they should normally be, finding nothing. But that isn't why he stops moving.
After taking another hulking step forward, the dragon stops. Drayton gazes into its eyes and finds that they're...different. They should be vacant; somehow, he knows this, but they're not. Kyurem's eyes have dark, sharp irises. The dragon gazes at him intensely. He's not being looked at like prey, but something else. He swears that he's seen that look before, as if the Pokemon isn't even considering him a threat.
Drayton takes in a breath and slowly reaches out a shaky hand. He's unsure why he's trying to reach for it, but he has a feeling that he needs to.
Kyurem doesn't react. It only stares at him.
Before his hand could even reach it, the Pokemon lets out another piercing cry. Its body starts to excrete cold, freezing winds.
And it's all aimed at him.
His body feels colder than earlier. He's aware of how much he's shivering. Then there's the ice. It starts off slow, peeking from the ground before growing and encasing him in a prison of solid ice.
It's strange how he wakes up in a cold sweat. While he no longer feels that freezing cold, his body still trembles. He puts one hand over his wrist in an attempt to stop it from shaking.
Drayton lets out a long sigh.
It was only a dream...
"Mmm..."
Drayton looks over when he hears that noise. Maybe his sudden jolt awake had caused his boyfriend to stir. Normally, he doesn't move around in his sleep. Once he's out, he doesn't move.
"Drayton...?" Kieran mumbles sleepily. One eye lazily opens, peering through his dark bangs that cover most of his face.
"Yeah?"
"Why..." He pauses, processing the sight of Drayton sitting up in bed. "You okay?"
"'M fine," he answers as he lies back down. It's second nature to brush off his own worries. Drayton doesn't like others worrying about him, especially Kieran. It was a bit lame to have him worry over something like a stupid nightmare.
"Yer not..." Kieran huffs, tired. The younger boy slings an arm around him. If he had tried this any other time, Drayton would have definitely teased him for it. Not this time, though. "Yer shakin'...you never do that."
"Bad dream," Drayton unwillingly admits. He inches closer to him, seeking out his warmth. If he's lucky, Kieran won't remember this when they actually wake up in the morning.
Kieran frowns in his half-awake state. Drayton can see him struggling to be a good boyfriend and help, but he's also losing a fight to sleep. The attempt to stay awake just for him makes Drayton's chest warm.
"No more bad dreams..." Kieran says, as if that would make them go away. If only it were that easy.
"Yeah, yeah. You're scaring them off," Drayton replies as he puts an arm around him. He pulls Kieran closer, nuzzling his face into his hair.
He pulls back, about to say more, but freezes. He looks into his eyes, those familiar, sharp golden eyes. They've captured his heart. Something about seeing them so focused made his own heart sway. He's seen them in all forms, curious, lighthearted, and even dangerous.
Just like that Pokemon from his dream.
Man...my head really is being stupid or something...
Drayton shrugs it off. He can't compare the two. Kyurem, a legendary dragon, and Kieran, his adorable little boyfriend. The only thing similar between them is their eye color. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Kieran," Drayton says his name in a whisper.
"Hmm?" Kieran looks at him, still tired, still fighting sleep. He's definitely losing this battle within a couple of minutes.
Drayton opens his mouth to speak, but can't find the words. What is he supposed to say? He's not really sure. All he needs is to not let that nightmare get to him, and everything will be fine.
"Stay with me."
He doesn't elaborate, doesn't need to. Maybe he would if Kieran were more awake. For now, he takes advantage of this, hoping he doesn't have to deal with this nightmare again.
Kieran nods, unable to give a verbal response, but that's all Drayton needs. He pulls him closer, keeping their bodies pressed together. He takes in a breath and falls asleep more easily with Kieran in his arms.