The First Night

Spyro sat there in relative silence. The sound of his chewing and the conversations of nearby patrons filled most of the noise. He swallowed the piece of lamb in his mouth and leaned down to his plate to take another bite. As he ripped the lightly cooked flesh, he glanced up to the dragoness across from him.

Like him, Cynder was also chewing on a piece of lamb. When they had arrived at the restaurant, neither had any idea of what to order. They hadn't been here before or any restaurant for that matter. This was actually one of the few that had opened up in the weeks after the end of the war.

Most moles, as well as the occasional dragon and cheetah, had been putting their efforts towards rebuilding Warfang. Some worked faster than others and soon new businesses cropped up within the recovering city. Those that were able to take advantage of the lack of competition thrived, much like the restaurant the two dragons were currently in.

Spyro looked around him, seeing dozens of very satisfied customers. A group of moles at one table were laughing and having a good time. A pair of reserved cheetahs at another were simply enjoying each other's company and eating in silence. Just like he and Cynder.

The purple dragon looked back at his companion for the night. A pit was forming in his stomach. The dinner wasn't going as smoothly as he would have liked. Not much conversation had been made between the two and it was making for a rather dull night.

"H-how's your lamb?" Spyro asked, trying to break the silence.

"It's good…" Cynder said. "And yours?"

"It's fine."

But not the same could be said for their "date" as Sparx had put it. Spyro wasn't even sure if Cynder was enjoying herself. Was he doing something wrong? There was a good chance he was considering how he hadn't actually put all that much thought into the date.

Spyro thought back to how this all started in the first place. He had been in his room, thinking about that day's events. He, alongside Cynder, had been helping the moles restore Warfang to its former glory by hauling stone and lifting wooden beams. It was tiring, but rewarding work. He enjoyed seeing the comradery amongst the moles and enjoyed spending time with Cynder even more.

He had come to deeply care about the black dragoness through the time they spent together. He found that his thoughts always came back to her some way or another. A smile had formed upon the purple dragon's lips as he pictured her laughing in his mind. What she was laughing at, he had no idea. The sound of her laughter was simply melodic and was enough to distract him from whatever task the moles had him doing. At that moment, Sparx had decided to interrupt.

"What are you smiling about, purple butt?" he had asked snarkily.

Spyro had leapt up from the cushion he had been lying on, caught off guard by the dragonfly's presence. "Sparx! I-it's nothing!"

"This wouldn't have anything to do with our resident Terror, would it?" Spyro's reply had simply been a blush. Sparx had sighed and shook his head. "What am I going to do with you?"

"W-what are you talking about, Sparx?"

"Just take her out on a date or something if you really like her that much, jeez!"

And that had been the end of it…after some sputtering on Spyro's part. According to the dragonfly, the two dragons were 'so obvious about each other' and that they should just go out to dinner or something. At that moment, Spyro had a new sense of respect for his adoptive brother. His brother, who had been so opposed against Cynder in the first place, was willing to put aside his personal feelings to see the purple dragon happy.

"So what's on your mind?"

The young dragon broke free from his thoughts and looked at the dragoness across from him. "I was thinking about Sparx," he replied.

Cynder snorted in response, oblivious to the dragonfly's selfless decision. "Are you thinking about how the little gnat keeps saying that he's helping to rebuild the city while we're the ones doing most of the work?" she said half-jokingly.

Spyro chuckled softly at his companion's nickname for Sparx. "He helps every now and then," he said, coming to his brother's defense. "He's not all that bad, Cynder, really."

"I'll believe that when he finally learns how to shut his trap," she teased.

"Well, he was the one who talked me into asking you to join me for dinner tonight."

Cynder's tone and expression softened immediately upon hearing that. "I guess he really isn't all that bad," she said. She shot him a look. "Don't tell him I said that."

This elicited some laughter from Spyro. "Don't worry; I won't tell him that you secretly care about him."

"Good."

A bit of relief washed over Spyro. He and Cynder had been able to have some sort of a conversation. It indicated to him that Cynder was enjoying herself to some degree, but the pit in his stomach hadn't gone away. Spyro leaned down to his own plate and opened his maw, but the lamb didn't seem quite as appetizing as before. A frown replaced his earlier smile.

Noticing this, Cynder stopped eating and asked, "Is something the matter, Spyro?"

He opened his mouth to say 'no', but he didn't want to lie to her. "Are you enjoying this?" he asked instead.

A bit of confusion graced Cynder's features. "Of course I am. Aren't you?"

Spyro stared down at the table, sifting through his thoughts and emotions.

"Spyro?"

The purple dragon blinked rapidly, trying to bring his thoughts together. "Sorry," he muttered. "I really am having fun tonight, but it's just that…"

Cynder reached out a paw towards him. "It's just what?"

Spyro's gaze raised to meet his companion's. The two stared into each other's eyes for just a moment before the teenaged dragon said, "Cynder, what are we to each other?"

Cynder was caught off-guard by the question. "W-we're friends, aren't we?"

He nodded. "Yes, we are, but…" Spyro licked his lips apprehensively. "Is there anything else between us—anything more?" Do you want to be more? was the unsaid question.

Cynder's mouth parted to respond and Spyro noticed how hard his heart was thumping inside his chest. "Did you hear what I said back at the center of the world?" she asked.

Her words from then flooded back to the drake. It was all too easy to remember those three words. "Do you still mean it?"

"Yes," she breathed. A well of hope sprung within Cynder's emerald eyes. "Do you feel the same way?"

"Yes."

A flurry of emotions surged from within Spyro and, in that moment, all of his attention was focused on the dragoness in front of him. He absentmindedly pushed his plate to the side and rose from his seat. He set two paws on the table in front of him and leaned forward. He tilted his head and Cynder did the same. Their muzzles grew increasingly closer to each other and time seemed to slow down for the two young dragons.

Suddenly, time sped forward and Spyro paw slipped. A large 'thump' echoed throughout the restaurant, causing other nearby patrons to stop what they were doing and look over. Spyro's chin rested on top of Cynder's half-finished lamb. He looked up at the dragoness to see a dumbfounded look.

A wide grin formed upon Spyro's face and he let out a light-hearted laugh. It was contagious and caused Cynder to join in. Their laughter rang through the air, bringing forth smiles from the nearby dragons, moles, and cheetahs.

Spyro picked himself off Cynder's plate, sauces from the lamb dripping from his face. He reached for a napkin only for Cynder to stop him. "Here," she said, "let me."

Spyro shot the dragoness a quizzical look, wondering what she had in mind. He felt her warm breath against his cheek and, to his surprise, her tongue running along his jaw. The purple dragon let out a hum of approval as Cynder cleaned the juices from his scales. Once finished, Cynder pulled away from him and smiled. A tinge of red could just barely be seen on her cheeks.

The drake glanced to the side and noticed several others staring at him and Cynder. His own cheeks flushed as he remembered that they were still in public and that their actions were in the full view of everyone in the restaurant. He cleared his throat to get Cynder's attention and said quietly, "C'mon. Let's get out of here."

The two dragons quickly finished their meal and paid the owner. Soon, they walked side by side down one of the many streets of Warfang underneath a darkening sky. Nothing was said between them as each other's company was all they needed.

Within minutes, Spyro and Cynder reached their place of current residence—the newly rebuilt temple of Warfang. As the pair walked through the halls of the temple, Spyro's flank brushed against Cynder's for just an instant. He pulled away, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Sorry," he said in a near whisper.

Cynder smiled at him. "Don't be."

The purple drake felt her tail wrap around his and her side being pressed up against him. Elation filled Spyro and he tightened his own tail around hers. The two dragons stopped in front of a wooden door soon after, a bit too soon for Spyro's liking. He reluctantly split from Cynder and gestured to the door. "Here's your room."

"Thanks for tonight, Spyro. I really enjoyed it," she said.

"I'm glad," he replied. "Maybe we could do this again some time?"

"I'd like that."

Cynder entered the room, but paused mid-stride. Without warning, she quickly spun around and Spyro felt her lips against his. After the initial shock, he kissed her back deeply. Spyro lost track of how long they were like that; all he knew was the joy that spread throughout his body. A lopsided grin was plastered on Spyro's muzzle when Cynder had pulled away.

Cynder giggled at his silly expression. The dragoness stepped into her room and was about to close the door behind her when she added, "And thank Sparx for me too. Goodnight."

"G'night…" he replied, in a daze. He turned and continued walking down the hall, his mind not quite fully there. Spyro entered his own room and shut the door behind him rather loudly. He didn't even register the equally loud protest coming from across the room as he plopped down onto one of the cushions that served as a bed.

"Hey! Are you listening? I said that—yeesh what happened to you?"

Spyro looked up to see Sparx hovering a couple feet above him wearing a slight grimace on his face. "Huh? Sorry, Sparx. I wasn't really paying attention."

The dragonfly folded his arms and made a face at his brother. "Yeah, I can tell," he said irritably. He narrowed his eyes at the dragon. "Does this have something to do with you-know-who?"

Spyro broke from his previous trance and shot Sparx and annoyed look. "Her name is Cynder, Sparx," he said in a chastising tone. Then his voice softened. "And yeah…"

Sparx held out both his hands, palms out. "You know what? I'm just gonna stop you right there. I do not need to know what happened tonight. If you need me, I'm going back to sleep."

Spyro shook his head at his brother's antics. "She told me to thank you, Sparx. She really appreciated you getting me to ask her out." The dragonfly mumbled something incoherently. With a sigh, Spyro said, "Night, Sparx."

The purple dragon stared at the ceiling, his thoughts lingering on a certain dragoness. Several different ideas were bouncing around in his head for another date night. He'd have to use them soon.

Once again, I am here to inform you that I am not dead by publishing yet another new story. Unlike the others I've uploaded, this one will not follow an overarching plot. I intend for this story to house a series of loosely connected oneshots as opposed to a continuous story. Trying to write a lengthy story following a set plot is just not for me. If you've read through some of the other stories I've tried to write, you have an idea of how it usually turns out.

I do not know when the next time I will update this story, but at least with this style, I don't leave as much hanging. Each chapter that gets added to this story should be able to stand on its own. I have various ideas planned for future chapters, including an ending. I may decide to upload the ending before I work on some of the other ideas I have for this. In that case, future updates will just be wedged in between this chapter and the ending.