Wings of fire one-shots

Umbli

Umber had known from the start that he wasn't a normal dragon. From his group of sibs, he was the most hyper, excited, or unusually weird. Big brother Reed was kindhearted and believed no matter what Umber was, Sora, Marsh, Pheasant, Reed and Crane would be there for him.

Indeed they were. They stuck together like mud clods clinging to swamps, did things together and generally had a great time together.

Until one of them were lost.

That night, Umber was quiet. He wasn't the one to cheer his sibs up anymore. He was quiet, silent, solemn and mourned in the dark. Reed had quietly lit up a fire and caught a goat for all of them to share, but in the end they gave it to another MudWing since they didn't feel like eating at all.

Crane. Their reliable sister, friendly and kind and gentle and humorous.

How could she be just...gone...? Like that?

Then Umber knew something was wrong with him, because he didn't save her in time. Umber had witnessed something in front of himself and yet he didn't do anything.

Like when he met Qibli.

He felt something, like he wanted to be friends with Qibli and joke and talk with him. It was captivating. Umber was actually, well, glad, for the first time in months, to find another friend to talk to. They were friends, yet not close at all. Something like acquaintances, yet not like that. Umber couldn't drag that feeling inside his chest out and knew what it was. It was just...desires, to be with Qibli, to bask in the warmth of his scales, everything about Qibli was perfect and talented and the way those brown freckles dotted his pale yellow snout and-

Wait.

Is that why Umber had this sinking feeling?

He was now drowning in it. Fears, rising atop him like waterfalls of dragons with their large claws grasping at him.

He liked Qibli?

But no. No, no, no, no, no.

He couldn't possibly- Qibli was male and so was Umber but- there was no way-

Three moons, he liked- he liked Qibli.

It had took him ages to accept it, to realize that this wasn't actually unusual or mutated or some kind of abomination- he had come to Sunny for help and she said it was perfectly fine, because she had both fallen for male and female dragons before. They'd had a talk, and Umber had asked what her female crush was.

"Fatespeaker," She said quietly, turning her head so Umber couldn't see her flushed face.

Umber gasped, giggling as he found out the pure irony of it all- Sunny liked Fatespeaker and Fatespeaker liked Starflight, but Starflight had fallen for Sunny ages before.

"Full moons, stop it, Umber." Sunny rolled he eyes. "Anyway, just so you know, there's no crime about your preferences."

And then the fantasies began. The scenarios that Umber would play in his head- How he would confess to Qibli, or the other way around, and find out they liked each other. How it'd feel with Qibli's warm talons in his, his grin making Umber's heart beat faster than any SkyWing could fly.

Umber had those occasional thoughts during class, like how Qibli was so, so gorgeous, his handsome smile and his freckled snout...(why was Moon giving him that look?) Umber was horn over claws with the SandWing and did anything to gain his attention.

"Qibli," He had said once.

"Qibli, I really like you." Umber blurted out. It was just before class, the gong had signalled once and Turtle had already entered the class but Umber had to talk to Qibli.

"Huh? Oh, sure, I like you too." Qibli grinned at Umber, his white teeth gleaming. Umber, however, was disheartened.

"No, I...I mean, I like you. Like how Fatespeaker likes Su- Starflight." Umber stammered.

Time froze. They were still in the hallway, the class right behind them, the sunlight streaming from above and turned their scales a mix of amber and gold.

"Oh." Qibli realized, his face dawning. "Oh, Umber."

Umber looked up at him, his talons trembling.

"Oh, Umber, I'm so, so sorry. I don't...it's not like you're a bad dragon or anything, I just-" Qibli flicked his eyes to Moon for a second, before mumbling: "I like someone else already."

Why, in all his scenarios, had Umber not guessed that Qibli liked someone else?

"Oh. I, um." Umber shuffled his feet nervously on the stone floor, leaving small scratches. "I'm sorry. I thought- I mean-"

Qibli spread his wings around Umber, hugging him tight. "It's okay. I just...can we just be friends?"

Umber had kept all the sadness and longing in his heart, compressed into his chest because if he ever let it out, his head and mind would just shatter and never leave him in the same cheerful state he was before.

"Okay."