Dappled Sunlight: Wings of Fire Glorybringer High School AU

Chapter eighteen (part one becuase Wattpad glitches)

Deathbringer didn't know what to do.

He hadn't really dealt with tears much, and it still caught him by surprise whenever Glory cried- it really did, because she was always anything but sad.

"I'm supposed to kill you." She said.

Deathbringer turned, his gaze landing on her, her eyes glimmering even in the dark like faraway constellations, connecting into dots of emotions.

"I'm- I'm supposed to kill you, and- and I can't." Glory staggered as she tried to stand up, her talons wiping at her face weakly. "I'm supposed to kill you, because I have all the reasons to do so. You kidnap RainWings. You contribute to some horrible experiment. I could kill you, I could slit your throat or something but I can't, I can't I can't I just-"

He was feeling pain reeling into his heart- looking at her broken frame, her broken heart, her broken, fragmented face that said it all for him. What he did to her was something he would never, ever forgive himself for.

"So I'm asking myself." Glory breathed. "Why haven't I killed you? After everything you've done, I should. But I can't bring myself to."

Deathbringer probably knew the answer. It trembled between them in an unspoken language, four letters, one syllable, and one single word.

"You want to be friends with me...?"

"You stupid idiot!" Glory cried, kicking the ground and sending a cloud of dust into the already death-scented air. "I like you!"

"Oh." Deathbringer shrugged. "We were pretty good friend-"

"-You idiot!" Glory yelled. "I like you! Not in a platonic way, not in whatever friendship way of some sort, I like you romantically!"

What.

What.

What.

What.

Glory looked at him expectantly, her eyes looking as if she was trying to prod a reaction out of him. Deathbringer was probably too shocked to do anything, to say anything, to move or to do something to reply.

What am I even supposed to say?

Deathbringer bit the inside of his cheek, his eyes gazing downwards. His mouth tasted metallic, like copper had integrated itself onto his tongue.

"I'm sorry. I just...don't have feelings for you."

Deathbringer looked up. He wanted so badly to tear his gaze away from her, to see that broken, detached look on her face, to see the unfallen tears swimming in her eyes endlessly.

"I know. I was-" Glory laughed, despite knowing that both of them knew full well it was fake. It was. She looked so crushed, so sad that Deathbringer thought she was going to crumble right there, right in the cave.

"I don't know what I was expecting."

Deathbringer sucked in a breath. Maybe I can make it up to her. An idea formed in his head, clicking and grinding into place, like a machine fitting puzzle pieces together.

"I'm not going to kill you." Deathbringer said.

Glory looked up. "What?"

"I'll help you." Deathbringer said hurriedly, stealing a glance at the entrance, the volcano in full sight. "I'll help you release the RainWings- I'll make it look like it was the NightWing guards' fault, and then we leave and never talk about this."

"Wait-" Glory paused, her eyes still as unreadable as ever. "Why are you doing this- all of a sudden?"

"I have to make it up to you."

"You're not doing this because you want to. You're not doing this because the RainWings are suffering-"

"Yes. I don't pity them." Deathbringer answered. "But I'm doing this because I have to make it up to you."

Glory's eyes flashed dangerously, the glow of the lava beating in her pupils as if trying to tell him something- he didn't know what.

"Don't think I'll forgive you after this."

"Of course not, princess."

Deathbringer grinned as Glory's face flushed int he most humiliating, embarrassing way he could ever imagine.

"Don't call me that." Glory whacked Deathbringer with her tail sharply, and flew down to the volcano, the clouds of smoke swallowing her, the gullet of the sky pushing her down further to the mountains below.

Deathbringer followed her, his mind whirling- he had no idea Glory liked him that way. Wait, ignore that, he had no idea anyone would actually be interested in him. He had no clue Glory would take his flirting seriously.

He stared after her winging shape below, her head still facing the island, determined as ever.

It was funny, how everything changed so suddenly in a split second. Glory and Deathbringer were fighting for their lives back there, no matter how much they didn't want to. And now...

What have I gotten myself into?

Deathbringer gulped.

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