"Do you think we'll always be together?" Moonwatcher melancholically dropped at the talons of the dragons piled up around. Winter himself was half-dozing, but those thoughts were easily enough to get his full attention as his tail swished, head moving up as his spines curled back. Qibli, however, simply continued to rest his talon across Moon's neck, caressing it along.

"Well that's a silly question. I didn't think I'd be repeating 'it's our destiny' here again, but-" Winter's bitter and audible groan cut him off before he could finish.

"Does it matter?" he icily spat out, "We're here now, after all this time."

"That's not really the point, Winter, I just can't help but think that, well," Moon dipped her head down, pulling away from Qibli as his talons were left to rest on his own sandy scales. "With the world outside the way it is, all I can see ahead of me is the feeling that this will be harder to keep."

"Careful Moon, you're worrying more than this dork popsicle ever does." Winter growled at that, passively slapping his spined tail against the SandWing's splayed wing across the bedsheets, which only elicited a giggle out of him.

"I've kept my maw SHUT thank you very much. I've been ~quite~ content."

"Yes, yes princess I know." Winter decided not to dignify that one with another response. Qibli's tone moved, however, preventing a later one on the spot. "Did you have a vision?"

"No. You know I don't keep those secret anymore. No more of that between us. These thoughts I feel all in here." Moonwatcher took a talon to her chest, a pained smile on her maw as she choked back some tears. "It's like it's not forever."

"Perhaps it's not." It was Winter's turn to tear up. His neck moved around until his head was moved up against Qibli's talon. He nuzzled it passively as he spoke. "But I have you both now. And I'm not going to let it go so easily. I don't want to. This is my everything, and I will protect it. As long as it makes you both happy. That's all that matters to me."

Qibli sighed, closing his eyes a bit as he approved with his smile. "It sounds to me like you've been falling again. I know what Kinkajou said, about how things, are, across Pyrrhia, I know it got to you. From your words, there's a power in there that's missing, a feeling of being unsafe."

"That's right." Moonwatcher put her head back into Qibli's touch, and slid her tail along beneath his to feel Winter's touch too, as if trying to guarantee this was real, as if this would never leave her. "I'm afraid. And I-"

"-feel like it'd be easier to run from this than to see it go."

"That's not what I was going to say."

"It's what you felt. I'm sure."

"Reading minds is what I do, Qibli."

"Nonetheless." Moonwatcher sighed, closing her eyes as she listened, ready for another lecture, "You know you can rely on us, Moonwatcher. We love you, we want to always be there for you. I," he held his head down, "I want to be close, and to help you."

"I know, Qibli. I love you, I don't want to ever make it seem like I won't, I just-."

"MOONS You're both insufferable," Winter spat, rolling his eyes, "You both know these thoughts always cycle around in her head when things go wrong. It doesn't change where we are now. Worrying about a future as if you can't keep building it yourself." He grumbled, as Moon gripped a talon into the bedsheet, feeling oh so close to snapping before Winter continued. "It's going to be ok, Moon. I love you, too."

It was the last words she needed to hear. Her talons slipped, and for minutes, maybe longer, silence carried. Moonwatcher thought over and over how it was frightening that something so simple shut these thoughts off. Something she'd been attacking over and over across the whole evening was put so solidly into a box as if this INCREDIBLE threat could be so immensely treated as small and comforted away, and yet.

And yet.

"Thank you." Moonwatcher spoke, pulling her head back across Qibli's lap and curling her tail more around Winter's maw as he rested it back down. Warmth radiated across the three, as their wings lost their tension, and blushes returned. "Can I ask for one more thing?"

Qibli smiled wide seeing the confidence back in her tone, her eyes as she stared up. "Mhm?"

"Can I be spoiled for the rest of the night?"

Winter and Qibli both giggled. "Sure."

---

A tribute to my lovers and sweet souls in my life. As things get scary, I'll always feel safe, happy, knowing I have these critters in my life to keep me company, and share with me love, compassion, and kindness. I'm always thankful to them.

From flawseer on Itaku

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