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It’s been a few days since Fire Spirit had stepped into this place, but it was just as beautiful as the last time he’d been in here. The sun’s golden rays shone through the little gaps in the leaves of the trees and hit the ground at just the perfect angle that made the place glow breathtakingly ethereal. The chirping of the birds here were never too loud nor too sharp, and the animals here are always so friendly and gentle. The grass is so vibrantly green, the fruits smell sweet and the flowers shining so colorfully, and the noise — it was so serene. So unlike the groaning despair and war cries back in Dragon’s Valley.
Going to this place was his guilty pleasure. Like getting a tiny slice of heaven, especially whenever he sees its beloved guardian angel.
Speaking of… where is he?
The last time he was here, Wind Archer told him that Millennial Tree asked him to go to an event with the other elementals in his stead. Honestly, Fire Spirit received the invitation too, but he was… busy. Occupied. Then. So he didn’t go.
Now that the event was over, he wanted to find Wind Archer and ask him about what happened, and how was it, and did he have fun, and was overall planning on just trying to make Wind Archer talk ‘cause his voice always soothed something inside Fire Spirit — something he wasn’t planning to figure out what or why right now. It is so normal to want to hear your best friend speak. Yeah.
He glides across the trees, his cape barely swishing behind him. The trees were still and the animals were quiet, it was as if the whole forest held its breath. There was no wind.
Fire Spirit feels his heart stop for just a second, leaving his dough cold before the heat - full of adrenaline - rushes in immediately.
“Windy?! Wind Archer!” He calls out, venturing deeper into the forest. It’s so uncanny seeing the forest, normally so alive and full, suddenly feel so still and empty.
…what on Earthbread happened at the event??
He searches the entire place, finding no evidence of the cookie ever even being there. He wasn’t near the creek, not near his treehouse, not even at the open clearings of the forest. Panic and worry were starting to bubble out of his throat— when he saw a dark green scarf hanging loosely on the tree’s branches. He looked up, and there it was.
The wind’s wings were ruffled and wrapped around him like a cocoon, camouflaging him amongst the leaves. Some of its feathers were sticking out in odd ways as if an uncaring owner harshly preened and plucked its feathers. He couldn’t see him at all and… and he seemed to be… shaking?
Oh fuck.
While using his cape to keep his flames from touching the leaves, Fire Spirit floats up next to him, sitting a few feet away. He chews on his lip — he was never that great at comforting people.
He never needed comfort afterall. Back in Dragon’s Valley, if he was ever feeling sad, he’d just annoy one of the cookies available until they agreed to duel him. It helped him take his mind off of things. Maybe it would work?
He glances at him — his body still cocooned in those beautiful wings of his.
“…do you wanna duel?”
Wind Archer freezes before slowly relaxing, and he can feel a bit of air finally flowing in the forest. The soft rustling of the leaves made Fire Spirit relax a bit. “…No. Now’s not the time.”
Fire Spirit frowns, wanting to argue that it definitely is the time to spar but just one more look at Wind Archer looking and sounding so… vulnerable makes him change his mind. “Oh.”
There goes his only chance to try and comfort him. He sighs, going silent and feeling like a stupid idiot.
Agh. He wracks his brain, trying so hard to think of how else do you comfort someone? What does he do? It’s been so long since he last remembered feeling upset while with another cookie or any being. The best one is — oh.. Picky Pyro Tiger.
He mentally slaps himself. No, Wind Archer is not a cat. What else can he do?? He can’t just jump on Wind Archer and give him a noogie — he’s gonna be blasted all the way back to fucking Dragon’s Valley after all the effort he put in getting here.
Thankfully, in the midst of the long silence it took for him to use his amazing but laggy brain, he sees Wind Archer’s wings slowly open up to reveal Wind Archer from its enclosure, though they’re still a little puffed up. His face was buried in his scarf, with green-rimmed glassy emerald eyes peeking out of it, and he was hugging his knees so close to his chest that he looked more like those tiny seeds Wind Archer showed him before.
Fire Spirit blinks a few times. Shit, it’s not an illusion — he never wants to see him crying ever again. “Are… you good?”
Wind Archer hugs his knees tighter and sniffles — fuck, he probably shouldn’t have asked. Obviously he isn’t, dumbass.
C’mon, Fire Spirit, think think think. What can you do to make him feel better?
He looks around the place, trying to look for something that could help. The ground… leaves, no, duh. Hmm twigs won’t work.. maybe —
His eyes land on Wind Archer’s wonderful amazing pretty green wings. He remembers seeing the way Wind Archer preened the little birds around the forest sometimes, and how those birds look so happy whenever they get preened. Maybe it could work? Besides, his wings look a little bit wrecked from all that stress picking Wind Archer must have been doing, and Fire Spirit has been dying to touch his wings.
“Can I touch your wings?” He sees him flinch. Shit. “I mean, I can… preen? Them? Is preening the right word? You said before that preening wings feel nice, right?”
Wind Archer’s wings draw a little closer to itself, “…won’t you get it burned?” His voice sounded so unusually small.
That’s a problem. “I’ll control my flames — I… it’ll be fine. I promise I’ll be careful.” He says in the softest voice he has — a voice he only really uses for Wind Archer if he’s willing to admit.
Wind Archer still looks hesitant. “Do you even know how to do it?”
Not really. He was imagining himself just brushing over his wings, but that wasn’t how preening worked, right? “Um, how do you do it?”
Wind Archer lets out a puff in what almost sounds like a laugh which — okay, cool. He’s doing good, he’s on the right track. Wind Archer uses his scarf to rub his eyes. “I… I suppose I could guide you through it.”
Thank the Witches. Fire Spirit grins, “bet.”
Wind Archer hesitates before sliding off the branch and landing gracefully on the ground. Witches, he looks so gorgeous.
Fire Spirit floats down as well, taking off his cape to set it on the ground behind Wind Archer before sitting on it.
Wind Archer stretches out his wings.
Holy Mother of Earthbread.
Fire Spirit digs his fingers into the palm of his hand to prevent them from immediately running his hands through those feathers — some of which were covered in jam or seemed to have.. jam inside tubes? He clears his throat. “So… how do I do this?” He asks very casually.
Wind Archer curls up slightly so that his wings are more seen. “You… may run your hands over them. You’ll find little solid encasings near the base of the feather — those are sugar shells. Just… remove them gently.”
“What about the ones that have some jam in them?”
Wind Archer looks away. “….just be more careful in those areas.. better to just leave those alone.”
Breathe in and out, okay. I can do this. Do not mess this up, Fire Spirit.
He shakes his hands. “Tell me if it hurts…” he murmurs under his breath before carefully placing his hand on a particularly messy area on his wings. He pauses when Wind Archer flinches, exhaling softly before trying again.
His fingers carefully lift some of the feathers, using two fingers to crush and rub the sugar off of it. “Is that how you do it?”
Wind Archer full on shivers, curling up even more. “M.. mm.” He nods. “It’s warm.”
Hoo boy. Okay. Good. Okay, he’s doing good. Good job.
He takes in another breath before continuing. He carefully removes and brushes away the crushed sugar bits and avoids the ones that seemed to have jam. He can feel his heart pounding in his chest and his hands trembling — he’s never cared for someone this gently before. It feels like betraying and being himself all at the same time. It’s exhilaratingly terrifying.
The more his hand passes over his wings, the more Wind Archer relaxes, almost melting onto the grass like butter. The more he relaxed, the more Fire Spirit noticed that his wings were… almost iridescent in the sunlight. They were usually a muddy green. He didn’t even know these wings could be even prettier. Oh my fuck. The shimmer wasn’t that noticeable, and was more akin to the shine of a freshly watered plant when its cuticle reflects the light around it. With his flames, it looked red. Wind Archer in red.
…He looks so pretty in red.
He resists the urge to press his lips to his back — ‘cause what the fuck, Fire — and forces his trembling hands to steady. “S-so..” he clears his throat. “So what happened?”
Wind Archer tenses up. “I…” he exhales. “I failed.”
Huh?
Wind Archer continues. “It…. You remember. It was a tournament of sorts. I was representing both myself and Millennial Tree Cookie, and I–“ his breath hitches. “I fought so… sloppily. My mind was full of… conflicting ruminations about certain… matters.” He exhales shakily. “Those thoughts… made me lose my grip. I failed Millennial Tree, and myself. How could I have fought so terribly when I’ve done nothing but train for centuries?”
Fire Spirit stays silent, letting his words sink into his head as his hands go over Wind Archer’s wings. “…but…” ‘it’s just a tournament,’ he wants to say, but he doesn’t think it would work.
“…but…?”
“… But.. you did your best, I’m sure.”
Wind Archer huffs a chuckle. “My best must’ve not been enough.”
Well, shit. He didn’t think this far. He’s not good with words. There’s so much he wants to say, but has no words to express it. He wants to say that he’s enough. Failed or not, he’s still Millennial Tree’s favorite cookie — his too, if he’s being honest. Maybe the cookies there cheated, or maybe the odds were stacked against him - being more of the wind element. Is that even possible? He really really doesn’t know what happened there, and he now wishes he could’ve gone to watch, but — that’s not the point right now. Stop derailing your thoughts, Fire Spirit.
“You’re…” he swallows. “You’re amazing, Wind Archer.” His voice cracked, fuck. What in the everloving cake. He clears his throat. “I don’t… I don’t know what happened back there, and I’m not really good at comforting anyone, but… I don’t want to see you sad.”
Fire Spirit lets his hands slide off of his wings and rest on his lap. He so badly wants Wind Archer to look at him, but he won’t force him. He’d never force him into anything. Much like fire, wind represents freedom; everything that he does should be because he wants it, not because he’s forced into it.
“You are an honest cookie, Wind.” He tries to chuckle lightly, summoning a little flame and squishing it on his palm like a stress ball, watching it turn from a yellow to orange then back to it again. “Telling me all this as if I knew what to say… when… when I don’t really know.” he sighs. “Those other cookies… you all have your own specialty. Just ‘cause you lost doesn’t mean you’re not powerful and skilled anymore. Like, if I was there– heh, I mean I’m powerful and amazing, but a fight with Sea Fairy could be… disastrous.” He chuckles. “If you’re worried about Millennial Tree Cookie, then.. don’t. He would understand, I’m sure of it. Whether you lost or not, he’d still love you… y’know? He knows you’re strong, everyone on Earthbread knows you’re strong. I’d beat them up if they don’t.” He huffs, stealing a small glance at him before looking back down at his lap.
“I’m.. not.. good with words, but you’re so much better and amazing than you think you are. You just need to see it.”
“And… if I don’t…?
“I’ll keep reminding you then,” Fire Spirit chuckles. “Besides, the cookies I like are just as powerful - if not more - than me. I don’t just love any common cookie.”
Wind Archer stays quiet, which makes Fire Spirit realize what he said. Um.
He forces out a laugh, “yeah. See? If we’re —“ ahem “—if we’re friends, then, that means you’re strong.”
Silence. Fuck. Maybe he should pretend he said nothing? Was he too obvious, too awkward, too—?
Wind Archer’s soft laughter cuts through his thoughts, and when Fire Spirit blinked, the forest looked so much greener than earlier, and the music of the forest was back — the rustles of the leaves, the chirps of the birds, the breeze suddenly rushing in and kissing his face.
Wind Archer stands up, fluttering and shaking his wings off of the sugar dust before tucking them behind its back, checking if they’ve turned transparent. What the heck, he can do that?
He turns to Fire Spirit and holds out a hand, immediately pulling him into a hug when he accepted. The Lord of the Flames freezes like a block of ice, unused to this type of contact.
“Thanks. I guess.” Wind Archer mumbles into his shoulder, holy holy holy mother of all witches.
“I-I.. you’re welcome??”
Wind Archer sighs with a smile on his soft lips. It looks so so pretty — a sight Fire Spirit prefers much more. “However… the way you preened my feathers… it’s not that good.”
Damn. Ouch?
“Which…” Wind Archer looks away and he feels its thumb rubbing circles on his arm. “Which means you need more practice. So… maybe…?”
Oh?????
Fire Spirit feels a flicker of something in his chest — so much like the spark he feels before a fight or a challenge, but so incredibly different too; a feeling reserved for Wind Archer and Wind Archer alone.
He grins, “are you saying you want me to visit more often even though you used to always tell me to leave and never come back?”
“Yes.”
Fire Spirit blinks in surprise before his grin widens. “Well damn. Was that a compliment from the goodie-two shoes, Wind Archer Cookie?”
Wind Archer huffs, something between exasperation and affection, “no. Never mind. I have retracted my statement. Stay in Dragon’s Valley and never return.”
He laughs, just as brightly as his flames, shining even brighter when he hears Wind Archer chuckle quietly in front of him. This comforting thing isn’t so hard afterall, as expected from him of course.
“Aww~ I didn’t know Windy loved me like that?” He teases before his mind even thought about his words. Oops.
Wind Archer stiffens for just a millisecond before he exhales softly with a smile. “Now you know.”
Holy caramel. He felt his whole world stop for a second. What the fuck, is he being for real?
Try it out. Fire Spirit forces out a laugh. “To be fair, you love everything, so that just means that you’re finally agreeing to not shoot me everytime I visit.”
Wind Archer shakes his head, uh oh. “This is… a different type of love, certainly.” He raises his hand to brush his thumb against Fire Spirit’s hot cheek, treating him like a warm hearth rather than an enferno. “You’re special,” he breathes, “I love you.”
…
Holy. Holy witches. …he’s..? Wind Archer’s not the type to joke, but… there’s a first for everything? Surely? Surely.
Fire Spirit chuckles nervously, torn between trying to pull his hands away and wanting them closer. He’s so close. Too close. Yet too far. “Is this supposed to be payment for the wing preening?”
Wind Archer smirks, what the fuck, why does he look so handsome. “Maybe… if you’ll let me?” He feels its hand gently tug his cheek closer.
This feels— too much. It feels like too much has happened in one day. He squeezes his eyes shut.
He feels Wind Archer pause for a second before he chuckles and presses his lips to his cheek, holding it for a second or two before pulling away.
Holy cheese. He was just kissed by the Wind Archer himself. What did he do in life to deserve this— actually, a lot. He’ll gift Pitaya Dragon and Millennial Tree something, he swears on his Dragon Bead.
Wind Archer‘s laughs sound like the little rustling of leaves in the breeze, bringing him back to the present. “Are you okay? …you were alright with it, weren’t you?” There was a hint of uncertainty and nervousness in his voice.
“No! I mean- yes! Y-yeah, I was okay with it..? Yes, I’m okay, that’s.. that’s what I meant to say.” He clears his throat to look composed, but he can tell his dough was emitting more heat than usual. Fuck. He did not look composed.
“It’s… it’s… so you mean you like me in.. that way? Like…” he’s heating up. Witches, send help. “Like lovers?”
Wind Archer giggles- sugar cubes and marshmallows on a stick, Wind Archer giggles before cupping his face. “Certainly.”
Fire Spirit can’t help but steal a glance at those pretty pretty lips. “Then that means we can do that again?”
Wind Archer grins.