Chapter Text
It had been years since Hollyberry had been home, the Palace would need so much fixing from the destruction Pitaya Dragon caused. Yet, rather than anger, or sadness she felt, good. It had been nice to see so many familiar faces, to be around whom she loved and being reunited with her souljam was a nice bonus. The living areas had thankfully been mostly untouched by the battle, so when she opened the door to her chambers it came as a surprise to see the ruinous state it was in.
A maid appeared behind her, “Apologies Queen Mother! The beast refused to let anyone in here, I’ll get it cleaned right away!”
Hollyberry smiled to herself and shook her head, “It’s quite alright, I’ll take care of it” The cookie protested some but quickly scampered off once it became clear the elder wouldn’t budge.
She closed the door behind her as she stepped in, the room smelled strongly of smoke and her perfume..? Vases were toppled and furniture trashed, the only things intact were the painting on the wall of her and Royalberry from when he was young, the bed, and her vanity that she had never used for much more than an emergency weapon stash and a place to store some of the little jewelry she wore.
The Queen Mother set her shield against the leg of the mirror desk and crossed the room to the bed. The blankets twisted into a nest, along with various items of her clothes used to reinforce the low walls. Many dragon scales were left in the bottom of the nest along with some black seeds, translucent white hairs and one of Royalberry’s old stuffed animals. It wasn’t anything special, just a small dragon plush barely bigger than her hand. But it made her smile, she sighed and left the room in search of clean clothes.
After a short visit to the tailor she returned to her room with clean clothes. They weren’t made for her but they would last until she could have a proper fitting done. As Hollyberry stepped into her room she immediately noticed the balcony door open and the dark and spiny lump in the bed. She slowed her movements, careful not to slam the door and dressing in the dark so as to not disturb the dragon. After a few minutes and about 20 seconds of consideration, the Queen Mother carefully climbed into the nest, taking one of the blankets that covered the floor of the nest and tucking under it.
Pitaya stirred a little but didn’t wake, subconsciously raising a wing to let her curl up to their chest. It was like muscle memory, reminders of a time when their spars were weekly and their secret visits nightly. She hesitated before scooting over into their warmth, despite being coldblooded they always seemed to radiate heat in their chest. Most likely from their ability to breathe flames but so many memories danced in her head of the two intertwined in bed, of them cuddling close for warmth they claimed to need, of Pitaya holding her child… their child. Love bloomed in her own chest like the warmth from theirs and the two hadn’t spoken a word since their spar. Gently, she settled in and sighed, eyes fluttering shut as she had the best sleep in a long while.
In the morning, Hollyberry felt her hair pooled around her face and back, her forehead oddly wet, and feeling very well rested. Her deep green eyes fluttered open and met the voids of Pitayas, a small smile chased up her face.
“Good Morning Lizard..” She whispered softly, bringing a hand to their face, thumb rubbing their cheekbone.
They let out a low purr, and its eyes closed, leaning into the gentle touch.
“You enjoy being a chaotic monarch for a few years in my place?” She spoke softly, but her smile was audible in her tone.
“Technically by law the throne wasss mine” They teased back, tail wrapping around her calf.
“Mmm.. technically the throne was passed to our son.” She argued, though it came across more as of a statement.
Royalberry’s parentage was one of Hollyberry's few well kept secrets, even from Royalberry himself. While he was clearly the Queen Mothers son, Pitaya's genes shown through in places. His teeth a little too sharp, nose too narrow, eyes that softly glew in the dark and the black seeds that would grow in his pink hair when he got stressed. And his voice would squeak the same way when he spoke about something was emotion, the little details that could be passed off as imperfections in his dough but things that only 2 cookies on Earthbread knew were traits of the legendary Greenish-Red Dragon.
Pitaya brought her back to reality with a scoff. “You know you’re lucky I havent burnt you to a crissssp Hollyberry Cookie” Their voice had a certain bite to it, using anger to poorly disguise the fear and hope they felt.
She sighed and pulled her hand away, “Pitaya… I'm sorry, I- I just couldn’t.. I couldn’t stay here.”
“And you couldn’t even manage a goodbye…?” They spoke quietly, like a loud noise may scare her away.
“That would have made it so much harder… I wouldn’t have been able to leave” She sat up in bed sharply, supporting herself on her hands
The dragon sat up as well “Exactly! I needed you to ssstay… I needed, I need, you ssstupid cookie” Pitaya looked down, flushing bright red.
Hollyberry softened as a smile crept up her cheeks and she cupped their face, “Pitaya…”
They glanced at her then quickly looked away.
“You missed me didn’t you..?” She kept her voice low and even, trying to come off as loving and non threatening as she could.
“Of course I did!” They snapped, teeth bared for a moment until it melted into a pout and their voice sombered. “You are my mate, and dragonsss mate for life. I thought I losst you…I thought I wasss alone”
Hollyberry pulled Pitaya to her chest, petting their hair. “I-” Her voice shook as she attempted to form words but they got stuck in her throat. “Wh- I-, It wasn't personal, I wasn't leaving because of one little thing. I just had to get away. It was stifling, I couldn't breathe. I love you Pitaya, I did then and I still do.. I just had to run.”
She held them tight, a hand running up and down their spine. They didn’t respond for a long moment, “I love you too..”
The two cuddled like that for a while, the sun slowly rising and golden light spilling into the room. Soon the hustle and bustle of the castle would begin and Pitaya would slip away until night fell again. But for now they were in her arms, and that's where they planned to stay.