-o0o-
Starflight had been dealing with some love issues for quite awhile, especially since they'd returned to the rainforest after the escape from the volcano. He didn't quite know what to do with Fatespeaker. She was cool and all, but she was just a friend. Nothing more than that. And then there was Sunny.
Sunny.
The dragon he'd been in love with for as long as he could remember. She was impossibly sweet, and always admired Starflight. She was smart and pretty, too.
But there was a slight problem with all of that. Someone completely unexpected had crept into Starflight's attention lately. A certain dragonet that should've been his best friend, nothing more.
Clay.
Starflight didn't quite get it himself, he thought, as he was looking through some choice scrolls in the RainWing's library. Well, it was makeshift, due to the NightWings dumping their scrolls in a random hut after their escape from the volcano. He was quite surprised that they'd kept so many. He was blind, as well, and that was a serious problem, due to the volcano. That stupid volcano. At least braille worked for him. But that was not the focus.
Clay had been Starflight's focus for the past few days. He still didn't understand why, but when Clay shielded him from the volcanic blast in the NightWing island, he'd felt so safe, so warm and secure and fuzzy, despite the fact that he'd been covered in lava seconds prior. Actually, the warm and fuzzy feeling had been the case for a very long while, but it took the shock of the past few days for him to finally register the events and what they might mean.
Starflight groaned in frustration, knowing that he couldn't understand why it was happening. Why? He'd been trying so hard to be next to Clay, and to actually speak with him, and get to know him. To a certain point, it made logical sense. He hadn't been able to speak with the other male in a while, but the whole 'proximity' thing made no sense. He was simultaneously terrified of, and enjoying talking with Clay at the same time.
"Having some difficulty there, Starflight?" A snarky voice asked from behind Starflight, making him jump. He didn't realize she'd walked in. He couldn't tell who did, or how, anymore.
"Three moons, Tsunami, you scared me half to death!" Starflight exclaimed, closing his scroll briskly. Tsunami snorted.
"Well, something's eating at you. You've been staring and moving your claws over that scroll for ten minutes. That's more than the usual amount it takes to finish one," She remarked, walking up next to him.
"Just- I don't understand something. I've gotta find out why; it just doesn't make any logical-" The NightWing was cut off by another snort.
"Is it about Sunny?" She asked him seriously.
"Not exactly. Not her, no. It's somebody else," Starflight replied, afraid to say anything. He was confused, he didn't understand, he needed answers. What was happening to him? The dragon clutched his head, trying to think.
"Oh. Fatespeaker then?" Tsunami pressed.
"No. No! I can't explain… I mean... it makes no sense. It's just so strange." Starflight was confused beyond measure at the warm feeling blossoming through his chest at the thought of Clay.
"Starflight, what's eating at you? If it's a heart thing, let me know. Please tell me," Tsunami pleaded.
The NightWing couldn't take it anymore. He had to say something. He didn't care what, as long as it got out. "It shouldn't be possible to be in love with someone like him! I shouldn't love Clay!" Starflight shouted without thinking, before he immediately covered his mouth.
For once in her entire life, Tsunami was silent, and it was horrifying him. Starflight made a huge mistake; he shouldn't have said that. Things like that happened every single time he didn't think. He then decided that leaving the hut was possibly the best thing to do.
Starflight shoved Tsunami out of the way, unfurling his wings and taking off of the treetop, ignoring the SeaWing's cries for him to come back. He made a huge mistake, and he couldn't rectify it. Stupid. So, so, so stupid.
And it was all because of Clay.
-o0o-
Clay was happily snoozing in one of the tree huts when a SeaWing jostled him awake roughly. He snorted, opening his eyes reluctantly. Clay just wanted to sleep and dream about food. Glorious, glorious food.
"What do you want, Tsunami? I haven't slept all day," the MudWing groaned, rolling over. He'd have time to talk another day. He needed sleep.
Tsunami prodded him roughly with a sharp talon. "This is serious, you oaf! Starflight got upset and flew off!" She exclaimed. The MudWing shot up immediately at hearing that last sentence, his nap forgotten completely.
"Where did he go? Do you know?" Clay asked frantically, fear coursing throughout his veins.
"Well, he was where the scrolls were dumped, reading, and then I came over and pressed him about something, and I went too far and he snapped-" Tsunami was cut off by Clay.
"Where. Did. He. Go. Tsunami?" Clay asked slowly, but full of panic.
"Just know that this situation is about you. He set off south from the hut-"
That was all Clay needed to know. He ran out of the hut, flapping his wings and getting in motion towards the south. He wasn't losing his friend again. There wasn't any way it would happen.
Clay shot through the trees, whipping into the branches, but it didn't matter to him. Starflight mattered. That NightWing was the light in his life, and he didn't know why. It didn't matter, anyway; he'd find that dragon.
The MudWing landed in a clearing a ways south from the hut with all of the scrolls. He'd just have to find black scales, and he'd find Starflight.
"Starflight? Starflight! Are you out there?" Clay called loudly, looking around. No answer.
"Come on, Starflight. Tsunami said you shot off because of something related to me, but she didn't say exactly what it was," Clay said. He decided to just talk; that'd help both of them with the problem. If he was there, anyway.
"You know you can tell me everything. You're the only other guy in the group! Do you know how stressful that is, other than losing food?" Still nothing. Clay sat up against a tree. For some reason, he knew that the NightWing was watching him from somewhere nearby.
"Look, I am going to let you in on a little secret. And no, it isn't about food, if you were wondering. I have never told anybody this, but when Morrowseer took you away, I was upset. I missed you in the Summer Palace. I really did. A lot," the MudWing continued, frowning and sighing. He was telling the truth. He decided to keep going.
"When you visited my dream those few days ago, when you were taken, I didn't react the way I should have because… well.… it was because I was scared you weren't real. Plus, you know, I was hungry. But that's not the point, though!" Clay exclaimed. He sighed again.
"I just wish, you know, I wish that I could be strong enough to keep us out of danger. Keep you out of danger," The brown dragon continued. Still nothing, but he didn't care. Either way, he needed to let everything out.
"And when we were in the Sky Kingdom? I volunteered for your place to fight at Scarlet's palace because I couldn't see you get killed. That would have been so hard on me. You're the light of my life! I just-" Clay stopped, his voice cracking. He took a few breaths.
"I was so scared of losing you, and I still don't know why. It's confusing to me. You know when I saved you from dying after the volcano exploded? I almost broke down, but I got away from you before you could see, Starflight. When I learned you were blind, it killed me. I was the one who held you in my arms when you were safe! I was the one who told you how brave you were! I cried for days! Days! I failed you, Starflight!" Clay shouted, shutting his eyes. He failed Starflight.
"I thought- I thought you'd be happy with Sunny. You know? I wasn't going to be happy about it, and I didn't know why, but I didn't care. You loved her, I don't, and I was going to deal with it against my own pain. For you," the MudWing whispered, curling his wings around himself.
"I just want you to know that I care about you quite a bit more than the others. I don't know why." A few tears rolled down Clay's eyes at that. He was so scared of losing the NightWing again. He didn't want it to happen.
Clay heard a rustling noise from the leaves around him, and he lifted his wings to see a sleek, black dragon walking towards him with tears in his eyes as well.
"You really meant all that?" Starflight asked, his voice fracturing.
"Of course. I cried so much over you. I really care about you so much, even more than food," Clay replied, nodding vigorously. Starflight chuckled.
The Clay looked into the NightWing's eyes, smiling. Starflight gingerly wrapped his wings around the MudWing's body, drawing him close. The black dragon was warm.
"What's this about?" Clay asked, smiling softly, but he already knew.
Starflight looked at him with the happiest, yet most nervous expression he'd ever seen. "I though- you know, I thought that this was wrong- impossible even. This shouldn't feel right. But… I think… I think that maybe I was wrong. Just- your face; I can't stop staring at it, even though I can't see. It's- it's like I can, but I can't at the same time. It's confusing, I know. You're just so gorgeous, and you're smart, and so, so brave and kind. I just never thought…" The NightWing trailed off, smiling.
"You don't have to say anything. I feel the same. I know," Clay replied, wrapping his wings around Starflight.
"I love you, Clay," Starflight whispered, nuzzling Clay's snout. The MudWing finally understood what everything from the past few weeks dealing with this dragon had meant. It meant love.
"I love you too," the brown dragon replied, locking talons with him. He could feel his heart thrumming furiously under his chest. He couldn't believe that this was real.
"You're so warm and safe. I get this fuzzy feeling when I'm near you like this," the NightWing said, pressing his chest to Clay's.
"I'm glad. I'll keep you safe. Always will." Clay licked Starflight's snout affectionately.
A moment later, the two lovestruck dragons broke from each other's grasp, grinning like idiots. Clay couldn't even believe that had really happened. He just became mates with his one of his best friends. It felt right, more right than eating a huge cow after a week of nothing but fruit. Starflight gave Clay this warm feeling in his chest at every glance.
"Do you want to head back now?" Clay asked, twining his tail with Starflight's.
"Yes. We should tell Glory and the others," the NightWing stated as the two lifted off and started back to the RainWing village.
"Do you think they'll accept it?" Clay wondered nervously, looking at him. He was truly scared of his friends. What if they scorned the two?
"I'm sure of it. Sunny has always been accepting, as well as Tsunami and Glory, in their own ways," Starflight replied.
"Speaking of that, what happened with Sunny?" Clay asked as they moved through the trees, him leading.
"Oh. I realized that you were making me into even more of an emotional mess than she was. You… just- that face that I can't see anymore," Starflight tried to explain. He wasn't doing a great job, as staring at Clay's face was seemingly his only focus.
The two touched down in front of the hut where Tsunami had told Clay about Starflight leaving. To the MudWing, it felt like an eternity ago, when in reality, only an hour had passed. He saw that Glory and Sunny were there, as well as Tsunami. Glory beamed at seeing them.
"There you two are! You guys had me worried for a while, but I guess Clay found you. What was that about, anyway?" The RainWing asked.
"I'm pretty sure Starflight would like to explain that one," Tsunami remarked, staring at the two. Discreetly, Clay wrapped his and Starflight's tails together.
"Well, um, I was having a really tough time understanding something, and Clay helped me with it," Starflight said shyly, blushing.
"And what would that be?" Sunny asked, curious.
Clay took a breath. He might as well do it now. The MudWing lifted their tails up, revealing them to be interwoven. The three looked at them questioningly, until the MudWing nuzzled into Starflight affectionately. He then heard gasps from everyone in the hut, including Tsunami.
"So… you two are…" Glory trailed off.
"I guess the correct term would be mates, yes," Starflight said matter of factly.
Clay winced when he heard Sunny squealing in delight. She hugged both of them at once, smiling widely.
"Oh my gosh you two are so adorable! I love it!" Sunny exclaimed, bouncing around. Tsunami smiled slightly. Clay looked over at Starflight's features for a moment. His face was like a perfect shard of obsidian; his eyes silky white due to blindness. Seriously, his whole face was pretty.
"Oh, wow. Okay, I get it. You two are so freaking in love," Glory said, grinning. Clay blushed.
"Don't worry, though. I think it's awesome! You look pretty seriously in love," Sunny said. Starflight smiled.
"I figured this would happen," Tsunami stated dismissively. Sunny looked at her in disbelief.
"You knew?" She asked. The SeaWing chuckled.
"Yes. In my own way," She replied. Clay wasn't really taking an interest in their conversation. He was too busy looking at Starflight. His scales were so shiny; and his wings, with the silver specks like stars in them. Those eyes staring right back at him-
"You're pretty," Clay said stupidly, looking away and blushing. Starflight crawled up under his wing, nuzzling the side of his head.
"You're pretty, as well, Clay. I love you," Starflight whispered, licking Clay's snout. The MudWing heard Sunny's squealing not even a second after he said that.
"You two are gonna kill me! Oh my gosh!" Sunny exclaimed. The two dragonets blushed heavily.
"Could you three leave us alone for a bit?" Starflight asked shyly when she was done.
"Of course, Starflight," Glory said, nodding. She walked out of the hut, followed by Tsunami and Sunny. The sound of wingbeats signaled their departure. Clay breathed a sigh of relief at their exit.
"That didn't go nearly as bad as I thought it would," Clay remarked, laying down. Starflight huddled underneath his wing.
"It wouldn't have mattered. I still have you. Isn't that what counts?" Starflight asked.
"Yeah. Other than food, that's what counts," Clay replied, drawing the NightWing closer to him. He wanted to enjoy his beautiful dragon's heat.
"I love you, Clay," the NightWing whispered. The MudWing yawned, smiling.
"I love you too, Starflight," Clay replied, slipping off into sleep, listening to his new mate's heartbeat. And for once, it wasn't about food. It was all about Starflight.
END