Chapter Text
❖ ── ✦ CHAPTER 1 ✦ ── ❖
Qibli loved his new life, together with his friends, and his (self proclaimed) best friend. Rooming together with Winter was… difficult, to say the least, they had very different views on how to arrange things, for example, he preferred water bottles at eye level, whereas Winter preferred his bottles on top, an infinitely worse decision if you asked Qibli. And the scarves, Winter had so many, blues that matched him on occasion, although they lived further north, Qibli couldn’t understand how Winter could need so many! But three moons he looked lovely in them…. The way it framed his snout, the way he would carefully rearrange it, the way it flowed down his neck…
“Well, I’m going for dinner now.” Winter said abruptly, snapping Qibli out of his daydream. “It’s already a bit late.”
They were studying in the library, despite Winter’s objections, Qibli squeezed into Winter’s cube.
“And where are you going to go?” Qibli snorted teasingly, shifting into a posh first circle icewing accent, “To a fine dining restaurant?”
“I can’t stand you sometimes…” Winter replied wittingly.
“But you keep me around because you love me…?” He replied with a joking smirk.
“…For comedic effect.”
Qibli tailed Winter to the restaurant on the corner. Winter, of course, had another salad. The way he chewed was so so elegant. Even in a setting like this one, he was so formal. And Qibli had some pasta.
Qibli looked up from his plate, glancing across his friend’s face and spotting a dab of dressing on Winter’s snout. He gingerly picked up a tissue and wiped it across the icewings mouth gently.
“What are you doing? Sand snorter.”
Qibli chuckled darkly, he felt his cheeks flush slightly. He pulled away quickly, embarrassed. The warm city lightly flooded through the windows and cast beautiful dancing shadows upon Winters snout. Qibli’s heart fluttered, how could a dragon be so… pretty. It was beyond his logic. Qibli noticed how the icewing’s posture softened around him. The uptight pose melting into comfort, and he finally smiled, it was barely noticeable, but obvious.
As Qibli lay in bed that night, he glanced over at Winter, who was checking his items for the camp tomorrow.
“Why are you so stressed?” Qibli asked, the Icewing was muttering his entire checklist ruffling through his things, “it’s only three days…”
“I need everything to be perfect… we’re an a cabin with Turtle, Moon and Kinkajou. We need prep.”
Qibli stood up, looked over the things sprawled across Winter’s bed. Painkillers for Moon’s headaches, a first aid kit for kinkajou, and some scrolls. Then some snacks, some quilts, a towel… and so forth.
Qibli drifted away, with only his dreams to keep him occupied.