(OOC: The following is a non-canon version of the events started in Of Fire and Dragons. Enjoy responsibly  )

The first thing Isaac noticed was an abrupt stop to the wind accompanied by the shadow of a large figure at the entrance to the alley. As the figure drew near the silhouette became more detailed, revealing a massively tall frame with extra arms, a tail, and several spikes protruding from its head. The homeless crowd instantly scurried out of its way. It stooped down and leveled its head with Isaac’s, and by his own glow Isaac could see a hideous face with a single black eye meeting his gaze.

Welcome to New York, city of freaks. Isaac guessed that the giant was trying to intimidate him, but after going hand-to-hand with a robot, meeting a blacksmith with bright pink hair, and seeing an alien shoot tongues out of its hands, Isaac wasn’t even phased anymore. He glared back and tensed his limbs, readying for a fight.

The beast’s head shot forward. Isaac brought his hands up in defense be was too slow. The massive head met with his chest and… nuzzled him? The shock from the creature gently prodding and rubbing up against him paralyzed him for a second, long enough for it to drop to its hands and slither its massive bulk around him.

When the reaction came, it was visceral, involuntary. Isaac leapt to his feet with disgusted yell and shoved the beast away, though he succeeded more in pushing himself away from it and stumbled backward a few feet.

“The hell’s wrong with you?” Isaac screamed at the thing. “Tryin’ to get touchy with me. Do you want to end up like that?” Isaac pointed at the burned hobo. “Do you want to die?? I will burn the skin from your charred bones if you ****in’ touch me again!”

The words poured in a stream of rage and hysteria. Isaac didn’t even know if the thing could understand him. It was acting like some kind of animal but wearing clothes like a person and-

Oh god, its clothes were on fire. It had pressed up against him and its clothes were burning and-

Isaac closed his eyes. He had to get away. It was the stupid thing’s own fault and it wasn’t his problem what happened to it and he had to get away.

He had to get away right now.

(OOC: Sorry for the lateness, hope this is enough. ;3 )

Victor purred, grateful for the warmth and fire, only noticing Issac's discomfort when the man attempted to shove him away. Well, kind of noticing. What he mostly noticed was the source of heat had mostly left. His clothes were burning but he knew it was a matter of time before the winter cold stole that away. And without his clothes it would be even worse than before.

He blinked at Issac's gesture at the hobo, head tilting like animal attempting to understand. The threat to kill him with more fire didn't scare him, in fact it was an enticing proposition. Like the beast he was, Victor surged forward on all six limbs, purring and warbling as he again pressed himself up against Issac. Hell, his tail was even wagging like an overgrown puppy. Heat and fire, how could he say no?

By now most of the hobos had left, preferring not to get caught up in whatever strange mutant event was happening here. Especially when one of them had already been burned pretty badly. All the better in Victor's opinion, they weren't going to steal his heat that was for sure. He would make sure they'd get more than just burned for their intrusion.

Images and ideas swam through Isaac’s mind. Lizard. Heat. Pressure. Fire. Embrace. Burning.

Screaming.

He opened his eyes and forced himself to concentrate on the mundaneness of reality. The rusted color of the bricks. The dry smell of the dust. The bite of the wind. He started to breathe again.

Then there was the sound of rapid, heavy footsteps before four scaled arms wrapped around him from behind and locked him against the giant lizard’s chest. Isaac gave a sharp cry as if he were in pain, followed by a string of “No! No! No! No!” as he struggled against the creature’s grasp.

But he couldn’t get free. He writhed in the beast’s arm’s, but he was trapped. This was wrong. There would be fire. There would be burns and pain and hurt. He couldn’t get away. This was wrong!

The strength left Isaac’s legs and he sagged in the lizard man’s arms. All he could do was stare at the ground in front of him.

It was then that he noticed the purring. Deep, solid rumbling that massaged its way into his spine as the torso behind him rocked rhythmically back and forth. He noticed that the lizard’s head was wrapped down around his shoulder, gently nuzzling at his neck. And then he remembered that, even when he had been hot enough to easily burn anyone who came close, it had come to him.

Did it actually want to burn? Impossible.

But… this was a city of freaks.

Isaac turned his head to look at the creature’s face. “What is wrong with you?”

He continued to purr and warble, nuzzling the other man's neck in gratitude. Victor had no words for how much he felt saved. His tail thumped against the ground, clearly happy that Cal had stopped struggling. It made it easier, though the heat did lower a bit with it. He kept his claws gentle and kept his teeth from scrapping against the softer skin. He wanted to keep Cal happy after all. Or at the very least from keep him from struggling too much.

“What is wrong with you?”

Suddenly the man was looking at him, clearly confused and worried. Victor blinked and tilted his head, taking a moment to think of the word in English. "Cold."he stated as simply as he could. That's why he had been drawn to Cal in the first place, that's why he was clinging to him. He was just too cold. He was a lizard after all. Naturally cold blooded didn't do well in winter cold.

“Cold”

Isaac froze as the meaning of the word sank in. Someone else who felt cold. Someone else…

Someone else… like him?

Maybe the lizard-man was just referring to the fact that it was winter. Anyone would be cold out in this weather. But then, the bums had been cold, and they hadn’t dared to get anywhere near this close. This guy had shot straight toward him like he was the last source of warmth on earth and hadn’t stopped cuddling him, even when burning at temperatures dangerous for his specialized clothes. Even now, in his cooled state, Isaac knew he was hot enough to seriously burn anyone who touched him, but this guy had him in a bear hug and was purring.

Someone else…

Isaac forced himself to burn again. Just a little. The past five years of his life were screaming at him; this was wrong! But if there was someone else who wasn’t hurt by fire, someone else who always felt cold, he had to try. He placed his hand on one of the lizard’s bare arms and heated it as slowly as he could.

“This doesn’t hurt?” Isaac tried not to let his voice betray any concern for the guy. He wasn’t sure if he was successful.

Victor's head tilted as he watched the man with curiosity. He had an inkling that what he was doing was strange, not something a civil person would do. The creature part of him squashed that thought. This wasn't a matter of civility, this was a matter of survival. He wasn't going to survive without keeping this man near by. He needed him and it seemed like the stranger was coming around to the idea. Perhaps it didn't seem so frightening now that the man knew he wasn't planning on eating or hurting him. He just wanted that brilliant heat.

He could feel it return slowly, especially where the man placed his hand. “This doesn’t hurt?”

Seemed like and odd question considering he had been clutching the man like a lifeline when he had been much hotter. But in response he shook his head, laying it on the warm hand, and purring rather loudly. Issac would find that where ever he placed his hand, the lizards skin would warm to a radiant orange hue, absorbing the heat into his own body.

Of course it didn't hurt, it was nothing but pleasure to him, his whole body was practically vibrating with want of warmth. The best thing the man could do was raise the temperature even further, as high as he could go. He didn't know how much his body could handle but honestly he didn't care.

There was no doubt about it now; this lizard man loved the heat. It seemed like he couldn’t get enough of it. Isaac stared at the scaled head pressing up against his hand and purring. The shock of someone who wasn’t harmed by his touch was still working its way through his mind when he noticed something else. Whenever he would increase the temperature of his hand, there would be a brief delay and then the man’s skin would rise to match his temperature, reflecting it back at him. He was absorbing and storing the heat!

Isaac’s mind collapsed under the realization. Here was someone who not only could survive –and loved!- the heat of Isaac, but who might not feel unbearably cold to Isaac, either. Isaac reeled. He- he had to try something. He had to see if this heat absorption was more than superficial.

“Could… could you let me go for a bit? I need to try something.” Isaac pushed his way out of the man’s arms. He pulled off his shirt and tossed it to the ground next to his coat and boots; for this to work, he’d need some more serious heat. Isaac turned and faced the hulking beast.

“Um… let me know if this hurts, okay?”

And then he burned.

Bright, glowing heat bloomed up his torso in a fierce red, racing past its earlier warmth as the air grew wavy around it. As the heat ran down his arms it changed from red to a piercing white, blazing its way to 1300 degrees Celsius by the time it reached his hands. Isaac took a cautious step toward the giant lizard man. If he was wrong about this… well, he just hoped he wasn’t. He raised a glowing hand and hesitantly pressed it against the man's chest. He felt the initial chill of touching a colder object. Then he felt the warmth grow in the man’s body. And then he felt… he felt…

Skin.

Five years of feeling nothing but the bite of cold, the rasp of insulation, or the crumbling of burnt things and now... he could feel skin. It was a little scaly, but it was alive. There was a slight, soft give to it and then the firmness of the muscles underneath. There was the rhythmic pressure and release of breath. There was the soft thrumming of a heartbeat. And it didn’t die. It didn’t melt or burn or give way.

Isaac trembled slightly. After a lifetime of willful solitude and years of self-imposed isolation, he didn’t know what to do or how to react. He just stood there, experiencing what it was like to feel the touch of another person.

Victor let go at Issac's request with a soft grunt of displeasure but he didn't pursue after. Instead contenting himself to watching the man half undress himself. If he wasn't so desperate for heat at the moment he might have made a witty flirtation.

But instead waited for Issac to return with a much higher temperature than before. The kind he had only ever felt from blowtorches. The contrast with the surrounding cold was shocking and he found himself practically melting into the man's touch.

With a rumbling groan he pulled the man close, wishing for more skin to skin contact where he could absorb that wonderful warmth. He had never felt something so addicting, felt someone pressed so close to him with out fear of hurting or burning them. It had been years since he felt so...connected, grounded. Everything took on a brighter hue, there was no more fear of what he was or what he could do. With Issac he felt alive.

To show the other his affection in a way only another fire creature could understand, he released some of the heat right back. Burning and cycling the warmth right back to Issac. The ground beneath them burned, sizzling with the intensity of their fire. The glow to outsiders must have looked strange and otherworldly, casting off the shadows of the alleyway in sharp contrast.

Isaac was shocked out of his trance by the sudden grip of the lizard-man pulling him close. He stiffened instinctually against the rough embrace, then slowly relaxed as he felt the heat of the man’s body. It was so weird. This guy was a lizard. He had one eye, four arms, and a tail. He was a GUY! But he was warm, he was alive, he was… comfortable.

Concern drifted out of Isaac’s mind as the warmth melted in. He stopped worrying about his clothes melting. He stopped worrying about hurting the other guy and he just burned, letting the heat-

NO.

Isaac stiffened again. He stopped heating himself and pushed back against the man slightly.

“Wow…. Look, um… I… well…” He wasn’t going to say he was scared, but there was no way he could let himself relax with his powers. Sure, this guy was loving it, but Isaac knew this was still only a portion of what he could do. This wouldn’t even melt most metals. He could get much hotter, and nothing- NOTHING survived that kind of heat. If he really let himself go…

Burning. Screaming.

Isaac tried to push himself out of the lizard-man’s arms. “Listen, um… that was…” Incredible? Breathtaking? Something he didn’t want to stop? “…not something I’m really used to. And… you seem to really like it, but… well…”

The awkward pause was followed by a cascade of words.

“Dude, I’m holding back. This is nothing. This is a candle next to the SUN. You think you’re liking this? You can’t handle what I can do. I can melt you. I can melt this entire block. I’ll melt your slagged remains down past the subways. So don’t go hugging me and purring like we’re some kind of lovers because I will be the END of you.”

Isaac stopped, wide-eyed. Where had that come from? This was still too awkward.

“Look, man… I, uh, can tell that you like this and… well… I kind of enjoyed it too, but… you know, maybe I could just heat your arms a bit or… pet?... you? Just no hugging, okay?” There was no telling what would happen if Isaac truly let himself relax with this guy.

For a moment there was only that content wonderful warmth, the kind he loved to bask in, absorbing and reflecting it out. With this small but interesting man in his arms, every instinct in him was silence, happy to just be as they were. Yet it didn't seem like it could last.

The man pulled away, frustratingly taking his fire with him. He growled at the interruption but found himself halted from reaching out to him again as the man ranted at him.

“Listen, um… that was…not something I’m really used to. And… you seem to really like it, but… well…”

Victor tilted his head as he listened, frustrated but willing to hear the stranger out.

“Dude, I’m holding back. This is nothing. This is a candle next to the SUN. You think you’re liking this? You can’t handle what I can do. I can melt you. I can melt this entire block. I’ll melt your slagged remains down past the subways. So don’t go hugging me and purring like we’re some kind of lovers because I will be the END of you.”

The idea didn't frighten him. Most of the heat settings on the heat lamps he used to get warm every night barely gave him enough to survive the day, let alone the winter. But with Issac's fire he could possibly go weeks, maybe even months without having to recharge. Not to mention the addicting sensation, there was nothing like it. It was far past anything he had ever felt before.

To put it simply, he wasn't about to give it up. He stood as Issac continued to ramble.

“Look, man… I, uh, can tell that you like this and… well… I kind of enjoyed it too, but… you know, maybe I could just heat your arms a bit or… pet?... you? Just no hugging, okay?”

Victor gave a thoughtful rumble as he contemplated Issac's words. Perhaps they needed a more private place to continue this. There was one near by if he remembered correctly. Without permission he scooped the man up in one set of arms and took off running. It was a few blocks now but the Ragnorak safe house, a quick eye scan once there and they were inside the relative safety of the half furnished building.

I’m not really getting through to this guy, Isaac thought wryly. He was not exactly pleased with this turn of events. Things had looked promising at first; the lizard man had backed away and looked like he was understanding what Isaac was saying, but then he had suddenly scooped Isaac up and carried him away like some kind of kidnapped maiden and…

That… was not a flattering line of thought. Isaac shoved it aside.

Though he is a bit of a dragon…. a part of his mind smirked. Isaac shoved it aside again. Harder.

Anyway, he had been carried away against his will. There wasn’t much he could do; the guy was obviously stronger than him, and had the advantage to two extra arms. Isaac grumbled at that. The feeling of weakness galled him. He hadn’t even been able to pick up his clothes, and while they were probably getting snatched up by some hobos or something he was getting carried through an eye-scan security door into some kind of….

Cavern lair? Shove.

…bunker.

Isaac pushed his way out of the lizard-man’s arms and took a step away. Almost immediately he felt the sharp cold of the air, a clawing chill after the warmth of the man’s scaly embrace. Come to think of it, even though he had lost most of his clothes and wasn’t using his power, he hadn’t noticed the cold until now. Other than his displeasure at being abducted, the trip to this place had actually been somewhat pleasantly warm, despite the winter wind. It really did feel good being close to the other mutant.

That was…. unsettling.

Whatever. He needed to get an idea of where he was. Isaac paced in a small circle, surveying the interior of the bunker. It was a large room, sparsely populated – just a few boxes in a corner and a large table under a heat lamp. The walls, floor, and ceiling were bare concrete, with steel girders crossing the ceiling between fluorescent lights. There were two steel doors: the one they had come through, and another smaller one opposite it, secured with a second eye-scan device. Hardly inviting.

Isaac moved over to look at the heat lamp, getting colder as he did so. The heat from the other mutant would take some time to fill the large space and it was still frigid from the winter cold, but Isaac didn’t want to use his power. That would just make the lizard-man more –ugh- cuddly. So he gritted his teeth and stayed cold.

On closer inspection, the heat lamp was surprisingly large. Isaac recognized the bulbs, too. They were some he’d looked into. Industrial strength, far too hot for anyone to stand in front of for more than a minute or two. If this guy used the table for any serious length of time….. Isaac looked back at the other mutant. How hot had he gotten before? Over a thousand degrees, that was for sure, and the guy had loved it. Almost disturbingly so.

And it had felt good, too. This time, Isaac didn’t put as much will into shoving the thought aside. What if this guy could really handle it?

What if he couldn’t? It didn’t look like this dragon would be dissuaded by mere words. Perhaps he needed to get burned before he’d get the point. Isaac turned to face the mutant, starting to shiver with the cold. At any rate, it looked like either burning or getting close to the guy for warmth was going to become a necessity. May as well go all the way, then.

….well, not THAT “all the way.”

No.

Not a chance.

Just burning.

Yes.

If the level of heat he’d reached last time wasn’t enough, things would have to start getting serious. Isaac pulled off his pants and dropped them at the base of the table. None of his clothing would survive this kind of heat. He stripped off his boxers then paused, looking at the other mutant.

“Um…. heh, this isn’t what it looks like.”

Why did he say that? He’d never felt awkward about being naked in front of other people before, it was just part of getting things done. But now….

Whatever. Better just get this over with.

“Alright,” he said to the lizard-man. “You want a piece of me? You want more heat? Then come and get it!”

The wave of heat practically exploded from Isaac’s body in a rippling shockwave. Before, he could barely melt aluminum. Now he was racing past temperatures that would dissolve bedrock.

3000C should do it. No real danger to me, at least, that way.

Blazing red concrete popped and cracked in the footsteps of Isaac’s white-hot form as he walked toward the giant lizard.

“You think you can handle me? Then come on, let’s do this!”