12

Near sunset, Cynder walked the streets of Warfang alone. She'd been reluctant to leave Spyro's side at all, but something had been eating at her mind ever since Spyro had asked in the gardens, and she knew what she had to do. Leaving him behind at the temple, she made her way to the little stone dwelling in the southern district. Approaching the round door with bronze dragon-head peep-hole, Cynder knocked twice and stepped back.

As first no one answered, but then the door creaked open and a curious red face peered out. As Cynder met Flame's eyes, he threw the door open completely. "Cynder! What are you doing here this late?"

"Is Ember in?" she asked. "There's something I wanted to talk to you both about. It'll only take a moment."

"Yeah... Sure. Hang on a sec." Looking a little bemused, Flame disappeared back into the house and Cynder waited for a minute or two. Eventually, he reappeared with his eager sister at his tail.

"What's up?" Ember said as she came to a stop on the doorstep. Flame lingered slightly behind her, looking curious.

Cynder thought for a short moment how to word what she wanted to say. "I just wanted to apologise for how I acted yesterday. And, well, most of this week. I've been a little stressed and worried, but that was no reason to take it out on you two."

Flame shrugged. "You weren't that bad..."

"Mum snaps at us more than that!" Ember agreed, grinning slightly. Then her eyes softened. "But thanks. Are you feeling any better now? We would have come to see you today, but we thought you might like a day to yourself since you were so tense yesterday."

"It's fine," Cynder said quickly, shaking her head, secretly glad that they hadn't come to see her. Considering what she and Spyro had been up to that morning, she doubted it would have gone well. A little warm-faced, she smiled and relaxed her stance. "I'm alright now. And there was something else..."

Ember and Flame waited curiously, and Cynder hesitated a moment. She had never asked them this before and it was somehow nerve-wracking, despite how much time they had spent together over the last few months. She took a deep breath and took the plunge.

"Are you free tomorrow?"

Silence.

Ember's eyes widened slowly. "Are you...asking us to hang out with you?"

Tensing her paws slightly, Cynder nodded. A huge grin slowly began to spread across Ember's face, and even Flame was smirking. Cynder felt the blood rise to her face again and averted her eyes, waiting for their response.

"That's the first time you've asked us!" Ember uttered a quiet squeal and did a funny little dance on the spot, the scales across her muzzle turning fuchsia. All of a sudden, she lurched forward and Cynder gasped as she was dragged into a hug. "Of course we will!"

"We would have asked if you hadn't," Flame added, still smirking as he watched his sister squeeze Cynder until she was almost out of breath.

"Th-that's good," Cynder stammered as Ember finally released her, staggering a little. She composed herself and straightened her stance, allowing a small, sly smile to cross her face. "Because there's someone I want you to meet."

For a split second, the siblings looked bemused. Then Ember's eyes widened yet again and she uttered a tiny squeak. "Is he...?'

Cynder merely grinned and, to her surprise, Ember darted back into the house. Flame glanced after her, looking bemused. Seconds later, a muffled, high-pitched squeal of excitement echoed from inside. Cynder coughed and looked away, trying not to laugh, but she was certain Fame had seen the grin on her face. A few seconds later, Ember reappeared, looking as though she was trying to compose herself.

"That's...very good," she said slowly, her muzzle twitching. "V-v-very... Ican'twaittomeethim!"

She squealed again and did another dance on the spot, and Flame rolled his eyes. "You're so weird."

Cynder gave them both a grateful smile as Ember tried to calm herself down. "Tomorrow morning at the temple?"

"Sure," Flame said with a small smile that seemed a little sad.

Ember's face was almost glowing fuchsia as she grinned. "It's a date."

It was almost dark by the time Cynder got back to the Temple of Warfang, but she found Spyro standing at the top of the steps, waiting for her. The torches on either side of the door had been lit, casting him in orange light, and Cynder stopped for a moment at the base of the steps to admire him.

He grinned down at her. "What are you waiting for?"

"Nothing," she said, ascending the steps to his side. "Just admiring you."

She nuzzled his cheek and he chuckled softly, drawing her into a brief hug. "Did you do what you wanted to?"

Cynder nodded, meeting his eyes as he released her from his embrace. "Flame and Ember will meet us here tomorrow morning."

"Sounds good..." Spyro tilted his head slightly and moved in for a gentle nuzzle. When he pulled back, there was an odd sort of smile playing about his lips. "There's something I want to talk to you about."

"What is it?" Cynder asked, her curiosity rising.

Spyro curled his tail around hers and coaxed her back into the temple. She followed without question, pressing against his side, and they stepped into the firelight of the entrance hall. Once inside, Spyro turned to her again. "Could I sleep in your room again tonight?"

A little surprised, Cynder nodded slowly. "Of course you can. But...have you talked to Sparx? He used to complain when you spent too many nights with me."

"Not yet." Spyro shook his head. "I wanted to talk to you first. This is important."

Realizing that there was something more to it than merely sleeping in her room, Cynder stayed silent and waited for him to continue. He shuffled his paws and averted his eyes, and for a moment looked too anxious to stay more. But then he seemed to compose himself and caught her gaze again.

"I think it's time we moved into our own room. One that belongs to us." He smiled a little uncertainly. "Now that we're mated, it's only right. We can still stay in the temple for now, or we could look for a separate place if you want. But I just... I just..."

He swallowed hard and looked away. Cynder gazed at him, suddenly aware of her own beating heart. Her thoughts were a tangle and she almost couldn't reconcile what Spyro was proposing exactly. He wanted to share a room with her. He wanted to live with her.

"I..."

"I just want to spend the rest of my life with you!" Spyro exclaimed, whipping his gaze back up to meet hers. She almost flinched with surprise, and then his eyes slowly softened. His paw brushed hers. "So would you...would you want that?"

"Of course I would." She hardly felt the words leave her mouth, but she heard them hanging in the air between them.

Spyro looked almost stunned for a moment, and then he pulled her into his chest and held her, resting his head on the back of her neck. Cynder shivered and pressed her cheek to the side of his neck, closing her eyes as she inhaled his scent.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I know." She smiled gently and nuzzled his neck. "I love you."

Their embrace did not last long, as there was a palpable sense of urgency hanging in the air about them. Cynder eventually pulled away and met Spyro's eyes. "You need to talk to Sparx about this."

Brief nervousness flickered across Spyro's face. "Yeah..."

Giving him a reassuring smile, Cynder curled her tail tighter around his. "Come on. He's probably in your room."

She tugged his tail and he followed with a small sigh, looking a little worried. Cynder pressed against him as they started through the corridors of the temple. "Don't worry. He's your brother. He'll understand."

"I know... It's just that, all this time, it's always been just the two of us. He's not just my brother; he's my best friend. I knew this would happen eventually, but..."

"You don't want to hurt him." Cynder rested her cheek against the side of his neck and he nodded slowly. "It'll be fine, Spyro. Trust me."

His tail squeezed hers gently. "I do."

It only took a few minutes to arrive at the door to Spyro's room, but he hesitated at the door as though he couldn't bring himself to open it. Cynder licked his neck and grinned at the startled look on his face before stepping forward to open it herself. A swift blast of fear made the round gem in the doorframe glow red, and the door slid open. Sparx's tuneless whistling drifted through.

"Hey, bro," he said without looking their way, patting down his bedding of leaves and moss in the little round metal nest that hung from the ceiling. The moles had crafted it for him following the end of the war, on Spyro's request. "I tell ya, after all that flying I'm gonna sleep tonight."

Dusting his hands off, Sparx turned and his expression dropped as soon as his eyes fell on Cynder. "Oh great. Don't tell me we're gonna have to put up with Terror snoring all night."

Instead of rising to the bait, Cynder just smirked and glanced sidelong at Spyro. He seemed to be hesitating, but upon catching her look he exhaled slowly and spoke. "Actually, I'm going to sleep in Cynder's room tonight."

Sparx's shoulders drooped ever so slightly. "But you did that last night! What's wrong with sleeping with your old buddy Sparx?"

Spyro looked like he didn't know how to respond, and Cynder caught the pleading look he shot her way. But she shook her head and gave him a look that she hoped said 'you need to do this.' Spyro seemed to wilt.

"Ah, whatever," Sparx said, folding his arms and looking away. "I've had to put up with your snoring for the last few months anyway. Maybe now I'll actually get some peace and quiet tonight."

"Sparx..." Spyro said slowly, anxiously.

Sparx waved his hand dismissively. "I get it, bro. You haven't seen her for a while and stuff. Get outta here."

"Actually, Sparx..." Spyro met Cynder's eyes for a split second and pushed on. "There's more to it than just that."

"Eh?" Sparx raised an eyebrow and his posture stiffened slightly. "What? What'd I do?"

Spyro shook his head and looked at Cynder again. In his eyes, she saw every shred of uncertainty and perhaps a hint of longing. With a gentle smile, she nodded her support. A small smile crossed his muzzle before he turned back to Sparx. "Cynder and I think it's time we moved in together."

There was a beat of silence in which Sparx stared from Spyro to Cynder and back again, and Cynder could see the muscles tensing along Spyro's back as he waited for the inevitable response. She edged closer to him, ready to support him whatever Sparx's reaction.

Then Sparx scoffed. "That all? Jeez, Spyro, you had me worried for a sec there. S'about time."

Spyro looked stunned. "Wha...what?"

Cynder just arched an eyebrow.

Sparx looked between them and shrugged. "What? You didn't expect me to complain or something, did you? Come on, Spy, you know me better than that. I've been expecting this since you two started that whole 'courting' thing."

"Y-you have?" Spyro stammered, and the scales across his muzzle took on a reddish tinge. He shook his head and seemed to steady himself. "I guess I just thought that you'd prefer things to stay how they used to..."

Sparx hovered a little lower until he was level with Spyro's muzzle, an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face. "Don't get me wrong... If things could always stay like they used to, I wouldn't complain. You're my bro, Spyro, and I promised myself when we left the swamp that I'd always stick with you. But, you know, mum and dad always said things can change before you know it. I guess we learned that when we left the swamp, hey?"

He cleared his throat and turned away. "Look at me, getting all mushy. You're rubbing off on me, man. Just go do what you wanna do. I'm your bro. As if I'd stop you."

Cynder felt a rush of affection for the little dragonfly and, as she glanced across at Spyro, she knew he felt the same. There was a tender, grateful expression on his face as he spoke. "You know you're always welcome with us, Sparx. No matter where we live."

"Duh, 'course I am." He pulled a face and floated away from Spyro's muzzle until he was hovering a little above them, gazing down. "But I don't wanna know what goes on with you two behind closed doors. Yeuch."

Far from being embarrassed, a strange urge to laugh bubbled in Cynder's chest and she found herself grinning. Something about the sheepish expression on Spyro's face made her smile wider and she looked away, hoping Sparx wouldn't see her attempts to keep from laughing.

"Look at those guilty faces," Sparx said, and Cynder glanced back just in time to see him pull a disgusted face. "Maybe it's time I went back to the swamp for a bit; got to know the ladies."

He swept his antennae back with one hand and pulled a face that he obviously thought was charming, though the grin he flashed was more frightening than anything. Cynder coughed to cover the chuckle that had escaped her lips and Sparx shot her a glare. Shaking his head, Spyro spoke up.

"You'd come back, though, right?" he asked with a small, almost worried smile.

"Duh." Sparx waved a nonchalant hand. "I know my little bro can't survive without me. Just you wait, I'll have a pretty damselfly hanging off my arm when I return. No one can resist the Sparx."

"How could I not believe that?" said Cynder, not even trying to hide her mirthful grin.

"I'm going to pretend that wasn't sarcasm," Sparx muttered.

Spyro let out a short sigh. Cynder glanced over to him in time to see him lift his head and smile at Sparx. "I'm glad you're okay with this, Sparx. I don't think it will happen immediately. We'll have to ask the Guardians about getting a bigger room here for the both of us, or finding a place somewhere else in Warfang... But I just wanted to make sure everything is okay between us."

"Why would it not be?" Sparx shrugged. "I can take care of myself. And it is about time I paid a visit to the swamp... I promised mum I'd be back soon last time we went there. It's been, what, a few months? Gotta tell the new tales of the mighty Sparx. Them damselflies will be all over me."

"See you in the morning, then?" Spyro asked hopefully, already edging closer to Cynder.

"Yeah, yeah." Sparx waved them away as he floated back up to his hanging nest. "Don't let the frogweed bite and all that. A dragonfly's gotta get his beauty sleep."

Bidding him goodnight, Cynder and Spyro left the room and started back down the corridor as the door slid shut behind them. At first they walked in silence, until Cynder nudged his shoulder.

"That went better than even I expected," she said, smirking.

Spyro glanced over his shoulder at his door, a fond smile on his face. "I guess he's growing up."

"Well, it's about time." She leaned in to nuzzle his cheek, but he was faster. Quick as a flash, Spyro planted a wet lick from the back of her jaw to the base of her horn and darted away.

"Race you!" he called over his shoulder, flashing a grin over his shoulder.

Cynder shook herself out of her stun, pawed the spittle from her cheek, and darted after him. Grinning widely, she bounded along the corridor, easily closing in on Spyro. He seemed to try to pick up his pace as they neared her door, but she had always been faster. Just as he tried to turn towards her room, she darted past him and spun around, her paws skidding on the stone floor. Her rump struck the door, and she raised her head to proclaim her victory to Spyro.

Purple filled her vision and her tail was flattened against the door as Spyro collided with her. For a split second she thought he had lost his balance and been unable to stop, but then his muzzle pressed so fiercely against hers that her head was forced back. Startled, she opened her eyes to find his only inches away, hidden behind purple eyelids. His paws pressed down on hers firmly and he pressed forward, nuzzling and nipping along the line of her jaw.

A fiery warmth spread through her scales at every point he touched and, as he pressed her harder against the door and began to nip his way down her neck, she uttered a quiet, helpless moan. A low growl that sounded somehow pleased rumbled in Spyro's throat as he nipped at the sensitive place between her neck and shoulder. Cynder exhaled slowly as warmth spread throughout her whole body. She didn't care how uncomfortable her tail was pressed up against the door. Spyro's touch was all that mattered.

Just as she was yearning for more, however, he pulled away and left her feeling cold. There was a gentle smile on his face when she opened her eyes and met his, wordlessly pleading for him to continue. Spyro merely nuzzled her.

"Maybe we should actually get inside first?" he whispered against the side of her head.

Cynder shivered as his breath played across her scales. "Maybe..."

Spyro stepped away briefly to open the door with a short blast of fire, but Cynder didn't turn when it slid open behind her. She couldn't take her eyes off Spyro, and she remained rooted to the spot as he turned his attention back to her and approached. He stopped only inches away, his muzzle almost brushing hers, and she had to refrain from leaning forward to close the gap between them. A mischievous sort of smile played about his lips and he pressed forward.

Their muzzles met in a warm, slow dance, and Cynder found herself being pushed backwards into her room as Spyro continued to press forward. At last he forcefully parted his muzzle from hers and caught her gaze. There was a kind of fire burning in his eyes, and Cynder was captured like a bird in a cage. She didn't even try to resist as he coaxed her down and onto her back, lost in a haze of warmth and longing as he stepped over her and moved his muzzle to her neck. He nipped and licked down to her chest and Cynder blindly reached her paws to his shoulders. The door had already slid shut.

"You have no idea how much I missed you," Spyro whispered hoarsely. "Forgive me if I seem too eager."

Cynder sighed deeply and her breath hitched as he nipped at her chest scales. "Spyro..."

He raised his head and Cynder opened her eyes to find his inches from hers. "Is this too much?"

She tilted her head a little and held his gaze for a moment before lifting her head and pressing their muzzles together. Spyro growled softly as their scales met and pressed her down into the cushion beneath her head. They parted briefly, eyes meeting, and Cynder knew he'd understood how much she wanted this. She wanted him to know, through more than just words, how much she'd missed him and how much she wanted him.

His eyes twinkled, and she knew it was enough.

Cynder lay on her side in the lines of moonlight streaming through her window, huddled close against Spyro's underbelly. His paws were wrapped around her, just below her wings, holding her tightly to him. She knew she should have been asleep, but for a moment she just wanted to lay and relish the feeling of being in his embrace. His gentle breathing against the back of her neck told her he was asleep, and she couldn't blame him after what they'd just done.

Stroking his paw softly, Cynder laid her head back against the cushion and gazed out the window. Through it, she could see little but the star-flecked sky and the lower curve of the green moon before it was intercepted by the line of her roof. She couldn't remember a time when she had felt more at peace. It was warm and comfortable in Spyro's hold, and after months without him, she loved it all the more.

A day.

It had only been a day since he had returned, and already they were closer than they had ever been before he'd left. It was kind of strange in a way, and yet it felt only natural. For months they'd been apart, and yet it felt now as though he'd never left. It was like he had been there for those five months; invisible and intangible, but always there.

Cynder had thought she'd almost forgotten how to love him in the time he'd been gone, but as soon as he'd been in her paws again, she had remembered. If anything, she felt like she knew how better than ever before. Maybe, in some strange way, those months apart had strengthened their relationship and brought them to this point faster than either of them had expected. Yet it didn't feel rushed at all.

Cynder hugged his paws against her chest and shuffled further against him, closing her eyes. She was safe, and he was home. There was no longer any need to wait by the window and long for even a brief embrace. There was no longer any need to worry about the seemingly endless wait stretching out between them. Finally, things were right again. If anything, they were better than before.

Spyro snuffled and nuzzled against the back of her neck. She heard him mumble something sleepily, but didn't catch what it was. Wondering if he was awake or sleep-talking, she squeezed his paw. "Spyro?"

There was a moment of silence, and then a sleepy, questioning grunt from Spyro.

Cynder stroked his paw. "Do you think we'll ever have to be apart for this long again?"

He drew in a long, audible breath and shifted against her back, drawing her in closer to his warmth. His voice was slurred with sleep. "I won't let that happen..."

Humming in absentminded agreement, Cynder lay for a moment and wondered. He was the purple dragon, and there was no doubt that his duties to dragonkind were far from over. Until he was old and grizzled, he would always carry those duties—of that, she was sure. As much as she wanted to deny it, the risk that those duties could once more separate them was all too possible.

Carefully, she wriggled out of Spyro's hold and rolled over so that they were facing. Blinking sleepily, he tried to pull her back into his paws and she didn't resist. Muzzle to muzzle with him, she gazed at his sleepy, half-open eyes and raised a paw to his cheek. "But what if it does happen? You're the purple dragon, after all. The Dragon Realms expect a lot from you."

Spyro blinked a few times until he looked a little more awake, his expression turning serious. "Maybe they do, but my first duty is to you. If someone wants us to be apart again, I think I'd have a few words to say about it..."

He trailed off with a yawn and Cynder smiled fondly, nuzzling under his jaw. The smile slowly fell from her face, and she gazed at his smooth purple scales in the moonlight. "Do you mean that? Would you really argue for my sake?"

"For our sake," he corrected, stroking her flank. "I went along with it this time, but... These last few months have been really hard for me, Cynder. Every day without you was...painful. Just having you back again is just..."

He inhaled deeply and sighed against her neck, and she shivered as his warm breath played across her scales.

"I don't ever want to let you go again," he whispered.

Cynder closed her eyes and pressed against him, nuzzling deeper into his warmth. Maybe she hadn't really thought about how he had felt these past few months. She'd been so caught up in her own feelings that she hadn't wondered what it had been like for him. It made her feel a little guilty—and yet, in some strange way, a little pleased. Only she had this effect on him; he loved her and longed for her, just as she did for him. He wasn't just the purple dragon. He was her purple dragon.

Maybe that was enough to keep them together.

"Spyro?" she whispered against his neck.

He grunted sleepily in reply and she smiled.

"Tell me you love me."

Spyro's paws tightened around her and he snuffled against her neck. After a moment, she just barely heard his whisper. "...Love you."

Cynder closed her eyes. "I love you too."

She didn't fight the darkness as it drew her down into sleep, this time unafraid of what she would dream. Even if the nightmares returned once more, she would not wake alone to an empty room. This time, Spyro would be beside her, no matter whether she woke at midnight or morning.

For now, that was all she needed.

End

A/N: And that's a wrap! I want to thank everyone for reading, and big super amazing thanks to everyone who reviewed. I so very appreciate it. My apologies for not replying to most of them. I was sort of on auto-pilot with this story, considering it was already finished from the start, but I did read every review I got. Much love. :]

Hopefully this ending didn't seem too sudden to anyone. I just hope people recognised that I was winding down to the end of the story. It's a lot shorter than my other stories, so I really don't know. xD Anyway, have a few random facts about this story:

This was supposed to be a oneshot - Yes, I was crazy enough to think that I could fit this whole story into a single chapter. Even when it ballooned to over 30 000 words, I stubbornly refused to consider it anything more than a oneshot. It was only when I finished it at about 40 000 words and read over it to find the whole second half of the story was awfully rushed that I realised I could no longer treat it as such. So I went back and rewrote and embellished and added and rewrote, until it became what you see here. It was only after it was entirely complete that I went back and split it into chapters.

This was mostly vent writing - You've heard of vent art, right? An artist finds themselves overcome with unpleasant emotions and simply has to vent them by drawing something, usually sad or violent. I've done it myself, but it seems I also vent write. As such, I apologise if any unpleasant underlying messages jumped out at you while reading. It really wasn't my intention. I was just venting my feelings, which weren't entirely happy at the time. I wasn't even sure whether I wanted to post this story or not, as I wasn't sure how it would be received, but as you can see I decided to throw caution to the wind and do it anyway.

Why the M rating? - Readers of my other stories would know that I haven't done anything similar before, so why now? Well, this story is a romance, and intimacy is a part of any relationship. I felt it would have been unrealistic to avoid the subject, and I guess addressing it as I did just seemed fitting to me. As it is, this is about as explicit as I'd go (and not just because anything more would be considered MA and therefore against the rules of this site).

Why didn't Spyro meet Flame/Ember? - I thought about this scene, I really did, but there just wasn't a place for it. This story was about Cynder, and to continue into scenes like this would have felt out of place to me. That's a story for another time. Which brings me to...

Sequel? - I have ideas for a sequel (or two...or three...), but as of now I don't know if I have the inspiration to write them. This story came about because of the feelings I was experiencing at the time, and as such it was really easy to write. I don't think I could approach a sequel with the same amount of motivation/enthusiasm. But the ideas are there, and I'm not against writing more, so we'll see where it goes. It's likely any sequels would stay largely in the slice-of-life genre, and would be relatively short like this one. But right now I have other stories to focus on.

And that's about it. Thank you so much for reading, everyone! I really hope you found some sort of enjoyment in this little story. :]

Until next time!