Dappled Sunlight: Wings of Fire Glorybringer High School AU

Chapter five

Glory lifted her head to see if Deathbringer was still there, and he was.

"I'm not in the mood. As you can see. Go away." She mumbled again, putting her head onto the desk once more. A screeching sound of metal against floor erupted suddenly, and Deathbringer was in front of her, sitting down on a chair.

"What's wrong?" Deathbringer asked, and it didn't have the usual sarcasm in it. It was...concern, and maybe guilt.

"Everything's so messed up." She said, muffled into the wood. "And I'm not even supposed to be crying."

"Hey, it's okay to feel sad once in a while, Glory." He said gently, and Glory's heart skipped a beat. Glory. He called me Glory. Not lazy, not RainWing, but actually Glory.

"I don't know. Everything's been messed up the past few days, Tsunami and Sunny probably hate me and it's all my fault. And I didn't apologize to you for snapping at you." Glory sighed. "It's painful."

Deathbringer shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "If it's any consolation, I'm sorry."

"No!" Glory yelped so abruptly that Deathbringer jolted. "I'm the one supposed to apologize to you- not the other way around."

"It's okay, you don't have to-" Deathbringer looked at Glory's trembling lip and sighed.

They stayed in silence for a while, Glory sniffling and rubbing away her tears, Deathbringer awkwardly sitting there throwing a glance towards the ceiling now and then.

"Hey, is it okay if I take you out? You might feel a little better."

Glory looked at him strangely, trying to figure out his intentions behind that smile of his. Is he asking me out? Or are we just friends? She bit her lip. I'll settle on just friends.

"Sure." Glory nodded, earning a beam from Deathbringer, which was a foreign yet pleasantly surprising feature she'd never seen before on him. Her heart beat a little faster, like tiny little pulses of flames, radiating bursts of heat.

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The party was loud.

"You've never been to a party before?" He asked, incredulous. Glory whimpered as another blast of music roared from the speakers, accompanying dazzling pink-orange lights and blue-green streamers.

"No. Is this how it's like? I thought you were supposed to be having fun." Glory had to raise her voice over the loud songs playing from all different corners of the room.

"We are having fun!" Deathbringer protested.

Glory sighed and shook her head.

"Oh come on, it'll be fine!" Deathbringer gave her a small, wanting smile, and Glory felt her heart ache just a little. He was actually kind of cute, his smile gentle and kind. All at once, Glory saw how his scales were not actually black, but bits of blue hinted into them like glimmering sapphires.

Wow. He's actually good looking for a delinquent. Glory felt her face pink for a moment, but then she realized it wouldn't be visible under the lights and glittering silver around them.

Deathbringer grabbed her talon, his claws sliding smoothly over hers, and pulled her into the center, surrounded by a sea of moving dragons.

"What are you doing?" Glory asked.

"Dancing."

"Oh, no, no, no, I don't know how to dance. I'll pass-"

"It's okay!" Deathbringer squeezed her talon lightly, sending another jolt into her chest, and put his other talon over her shoulder. "You don't even need to have experience. You just...let the music flow over you, and dance."

Glory nodded firmly, although she was shaking internally with uncertainty.

"You're doing it!" Deathbringer said, delighted.

"Huh?" Glory looked down, and saw her feet move to the music, beat by beat, the rhythm thrumming into her, filling her with confidence.

"You did it! You danced! Now, that wasn't so hard, wasn't it?" He smiled hopefully, and Glory smiled back.

She didn't have this kind of fun in a long time. In fact- she didn't remember being so happy, fitting in with the crowd, just doing what made her happy.

Deathbringer spun her around, along with her heart, and dipped her, his eyes sparkling.

"Quite the dancer, I see." Glory laughed.

Deathbringer pulled her up again, his smile wider and more genuine. Glory gave a nervous grin back, her heart pounding in her ears. "So. Did you feel better?"

"Maybe." Glory poked him with her tail playfully. "I might try this again."

Deathbringer laughed again, laughing and smiling and happy, and caught in that moment, Glory smiled along, her body tingling with excitement and thrill. They kept dancing, in the late evening light that sparkled off them, black and blue and shimmers of rainbows, Glory had never felt more content in her life.