Going Forward [D'hys]

V'zire had been nervous from the moment he had woken up that morning, though by all accounts he shouldn't be. It had taken him a few days to gather up the confidence and courage to ask D'hys to come over for an evening. He had no intention of doing anything less than innocent, but this was still a very big step for him! D'hys had walked him home before, and he had certainly spent quite a bit of time at the other man's hut simply hanging out and talking with D'hys. The relationship, from the get-go, was obviously going to be a slow one. V'zire was a tentative lover, unsure of himself or his new relationship. But, he had hope, and he really liked D'hys! The greenrider was going to try whatever he could to make it work, because D'hys seemed like the perfect man for him.

There was still some guilt over the situation with R'ore, but Rhaedalyn had been encouraging him to see D'hys, and his other friends wanted him to have an actual relationship. So, he was going to give it a try. Earlier in the day D'hys had been made to suffer through a nervous invitation, and since it clearly wasn't an invite to more nefarious actions, it was clear that when V'zire was actually ready it would take him sevendays to gather up the courage to let D'hys know that. But, that hurdle would be tackled far into the future. The relationship was still new, having been started right after Krypth's last clutch had hatched. Most people would consider that enough time to be way past the stage in the relationship that D'hys and V'zire were at.

Someone is coming. Niskziath announced the news with a large amount of whimsical curiosity.

'No!' V'zire answered with obvious horror, since the hut wasn't nearly clean enough, and he still couldn't decide if substandard wine was better than no wine...

Its here.

'...It?'

A bird. How can something so small fly?

Oh... dear Faranth. V'zire heaved a sigh of relief, now somewhat convinced that he wasn't ready to have anyone over. He had managed to secure snacks and drinks, and had cards that he was absolutely terrible at playing with. A'liran was the only person he had ever managed to win against, and they hadn't been betting anything because V'zire was so scared of losing. With D'hys, he was determined to try not to suck. V'zire was sure that he had lined up enough activities, at least, to keep them entertained for a couple of hours. He wasn't even sure that D'hys would want to stay that long, and V'zire hated the idea of interjecting himself into the bluerider's schedule... What if he had other things to do?

Oh no, what if he did have something to do but felt obligated to cancel it because --

Are you okay?

Oh. 'Uhh... yes.'

Don't get so worked up, you're so silly! The Green went back to minding her own business, which meant she was completely oblivious to Zeianth's arrival. That was likely because she was too busy trying to strike up a wonderful conversation with her new bird friend.

I believe she is talking to a bird. D’hys snorted in response to the observation as they landed outside the hut that not many had been inside of. She’s whimsical. It’s bound to happen. He could understand his dragon’s usual complaints about the flighty albeit sweet green dragon but D’hys also knew Zeianth wasn’t nearly as annoyed as he led on. After all, he was close friends to Aveleth and even looked out for the other blue like a big brother would. Niskziath was definitely crazier and lost focus within a heartbeat but D’hys didn’t doubt that Zeianth was a bit of a softie to her all the same. That was fine; it made the charade all the more believable. When it all ended, however, the bluerider did wonder what would happen between the dragons and if the broken hearted but kind V’zire would allow them to mingle still.

That was a concern for another day – one that was far away.

The path to his destination was slow and riddled with potential issues but thus far D’hys had managed fine. The slow pace was almost enjoyable as the thrill of the conquest mounted with each small step that was taken forward. It was probably the longest round of foreplay anyone had ever managed to put up with but he’d do it and he’d smile the entire way through. That was how he sat through the invitation to visit as well. A patient smile remained in place as V’zire worked his way through explaining he’d like to host the bluerider for an evening and before it had been said or implied, D’hys knew it would be an entirely well-behaved visit. He’d still work it to his advantage, as he always did, but D’hys was ready for whatever was planned.

Dismounting, he sent Zeianth off to entertain the green when she was done with the bird and went for the door. Most of his friends or a lover that was expecting him knew better than to believe he’d knock and wait patiently. Doors were barriers for people you didn’t want to come in and he was always welcomed. Today however, was different. Everything with V’zire was done differently since it was all a game of pretend. A solid knock was given to the wooden barrier and D’hys waited patiently thereafter. He was a well-mannered bluerider that respected V’zire’s boundaries in all areas!

'Ummm... Nisk? Why did you tell me a bird was here but not D'hys?' V'zire inquired anxiously as he heard the polite knock on his door. By now he should be more than comfortable around D'hys, but he was constantly worrying over making a bad impression or somehow fumbling the only relationship he had ever truly given a chance. D'hys' attention was both flattering and nerve-wrecking. He knew he really didn't deserve to have someone as amazing as D'hys like him, so that D'hys did put all the more pressure on V'zire to be better for him. He just... really did not want to screw this up.

I was supposed to?

'Oh, no... I just thought since you told me the bird was here...'

D'hys is here. V'zire couldn't even be the slightest bit upset with her. Niskziath always tried her best, and well, it wasn't really her fault if she got distracted a lot of the time. It was just the way she was, and V'zire wouldn't even want to change a single thing about her! Most of the time, he found her absentminded and whimsical attitude to be completely adorable, and he really didn't want her to start getting smart on him! He was barely a step ahead as it was now!

The greenrider took a few moments to observe his surroundings, though he stopped himself from trying to make too many quick fixes. D'hys was waiting for him, and it would be rude to make him stand there all night while V'zire fussed over every little detail. He quickly decided that the hut was adequate for guests, and that his appearance wasn't too terrible despite all his fretting. V'zire hadn't exactly dressed up for the little meet up, but that didn't mean he hadn't spent quite some time trying to determine what was appropriate to wear! He wanted to be nice, but casual. D'hys always looked good, and V'zire just had to try a little harder to look just as good!

He headed to the door as quickly as he could to keep D'hys from waiting any longer than necessary, though the bluerider was probably standing there for a few seconds too long anyways. V'zire opened the door for his guest, greeting D'hys with a shy, but warm smile. "Hey," and that sounded really stupid and like he couldn't think of anything else to say to his lover! He took a step forward, planting a quick and sweet kiss to D'hys' cheek before stepping back to invite him inside. "U-ummm, how was your day?" Oh dear, and he was already nervous.

D’hys never argued with someone when they said his heart was frozen over since he believed it true but even still, he could see how precious V’zire could affect people and be charmed by his bumbling ways as he learned to interact with someone. It was almost endearing to him, which helped keep the façade of a kind and shy bluerider interested in a sweet greenrider in place. A smile was given in greeting, which he let widen a touch when the kiss to his cheek was given. It was going to be fun corrupting that innocence. The further he got into the plan to get V’zire into bed, the more D’hys liked the idea of stringing him along longer after that to see how wild he could make the man in bed. The reserved ones were always the most keen to let loose, after all.

“My day has much improved now that I get to spend time with you,” D’hys replied as he entered the hut that was forbidden territory for all but likely five people. He imagined sweet little slumber parties with that golden Candidate and them gossiping and giggling all night long. No doubt R’nd had come by for similar things. He was such a pansy bluerider. Now it was D’hys’ turn to play that part but he knew he wasn’t going to be stuck in the friend zone forever and there would be far more entertaining visits coming up.

D’hys waited until V’zire closed the door and, as he often did since the confession, he was quickly linking his hands with the greenrider’s and leaning in for a proper kiss to the lips. He still hated kissing and the intimacy that came with it but D’hys was glad he was good at it and seemed convincing with the emotions he tossed behind each one. “Thank you for inviting me over, V’zire,” he whispered to give off the illusion that if he spoke too loudly that they might realize where they are and V’zire would quickly usher him out.

The line D'hys answered him with was so corny! And yet, at the same time, completely endearing. It made V'zire smile, though that was not a particularly hard task. He was naturally an open type of person, and wore his emotions on his face. For the most part, D'hys seemed to easily win him over now that V'zire had committed himself to the idea of a relationship. It was clear that the greenrider was doing his best to give their relationship the chance that it deserved. He shouldn't be wrapped up in men who didn't really care for him, not when there was someone out there that could love him. "You're flattering me," V'zire answered warmly. He really didn't seem to mind that D'hys was being cheesy with him.

Once V'zire was eased into an action, he was less likely to get flustered to the point of incompetence. The first time they had kissed had left him feeling light headed and confused. Now the action was received with a smile and the tiniest press of his lips back against D'hys. Fingers locked with the blueriders, and the blush on his face wasn't so much from embarrassment as it was from pleasure at the attention. Kissing was usually as far as D'hys could get with him. V'zire still got skittish and embarrassed when the bluerider started touching him. If D'hys pushed him, he likely would cave, but D'hys knew better than to push him just yet.

"Oh, no, thank you for coming over." A briefly anxious look was cast around his hut, as if he wasn't convinced now that D'hys was here that everything was in order. "I'll, ah, get us some drinks?" D'hys was clearly the far better host, but V'zire was making an earnest effort to be entertaining! The greenrider was reluctant to so soon pry himself away from D'hys, but he gently eased away to guide D'hys towards the main area. It was painfully obvious to the greenrider now that he didn't really have people over, not the type of people that D'hys was to him. His complete inexperience was making him more nervous than ever. Not making a fool of himself would prove to be quite the task this evening. "I figured we could play some poker? I'm really bad at it for the most part, but I think I can put up a little bit of a fight." Should he admit to being a bad card player? Probably shouldn't.

V’zire was unknowingly entertaining. His nervousness still amused D’hys which was a good thing given how regularly the greenrider dipped into that emotion. It was clear V’zire was out of his comfort zone but putting up a good fight in order to show he cared or something foolish to that effect. It was a major step all the same and D’hys was willing to smile and small talk his way through the night in order to get closer to stripping V’zire and tossing him on a bed. In fact, if the night went along nicely, the bluerider would consider pushing a bit before they parted ways. For now, though, he’d stick with pretending he was comfortable with the cutesy kisses and shyness they both were supposed to have around one another.

“Poker sounds like fun,” D’hys was a pro when it came to that particular game. He knew no one could read his expressionless face and he was a master at bluffing, as V’zire would one day learn on a whole new level. Normally he was invited to strip poker games but he knew better than to even joke about that with the greenrider who would likely panic and the next few hours would be spent working on getting him to calm down again. “You get the drinks and I’ll shuffle?” D’hys bargained with a smile as he glanced around for the cards and picked up the deck. Having V’zire wander off for a few minutes would also give him some time to snoop around though he wasn’t about to physically poke at anything just yet. A visual sweep of the room would still be enough to give him more of an idea as to what V’zire was ultimately like.

"Deal," V'zire answered with a growing smile. It seemed that once D'hys approved of his idea for entertainment, the greenrider was put at greater ease. He was constantly tripping himself up in his efforts to please D'hys. The bluerider, ultimately, was putting forth the greater effort, but V'zire was playing right into his hand by being so eager to see the man happy. He'd do anything if it got the man to even smile at him, because every time D'hys gave him that dazzling expression he felt both stunned that he could receive such affection and giddy that he got it. The relationship with D'hys was quickly turning into much more than he had with R'ore. It made him realize that he had been, ultimately, unhappy with his prior relationship. It made him realize just how inadequate it had been. D'hys was already giving him so much more than he could have asked for out of a lover, that he even knew he could ask.

The young man reappeared shortly, but it was long enough that D'hys would be able to absorb his surroundings a fair bit more. Like V'zire, the hut seemed a little underwhelming. The walls were barely adorned, even the furniture was unspectacular. Of course, Katila didn't necessarily have much in the way of luxury, but a few more riders had made attempts to make their place more homely. It was well-kept, and the design aesthetic pleasing enough, but it was just another room in another hut. If nothing else, it emphasized what a small personality V'zire had to most of the people at Katila Weyr. He was a background piece, and quite enjoyed being that way.

"Is the couch okay to sit on? I can pull a small table close so we have someplace to put the cards..." He was inviting the idea of sitting with D'hys, which he was becoming a little bit more bolder with each day. V'zire loved to curl up with the bluerider, but he hardly ever asked to. He didn't want to come off as too clingy, and was very conscious of harassing D'hys too much for attention. He didn't want to end up somehow... chasing him away.

“This is fine,” D’hys patted the space between them, indicating it would serve as a suitable flat surface for placing cards. Neither of them would have to move and he felt it kept them at a respectable distance. They weren’t too far apart but they weren’t going to be in each other’s laps either. It seemed perfect for the greenrider that liked contact but didn’t want to be pushed too much at the same time. They could steal little touches as they played and make it a coy game that if D’hys played right he might be able to get heavy petting out of later on. He wasn’t blind and knew how turned on his sweet greenrider could get during their make out sessions and soon he’d be able to get a bit more out of V’zire and slowly – oh so slowly – move them towards the goal of sex.

“As long as you don’t try to cheat,” D’hys teased with a friendly smile as he shifted a bit with a few cards now spread out in his hands as if trying to find the best way to sit that would keep his cards secret. “Shall we put up some fun rules? Loser gives the winner a kiss, maybe?” That was ridiculously innocent and tame considering the games of poker D’hys normally played but it seemed just right to be playful and still a bit innocent for V’zire to be comfortable with. If not, the smile he still wore would likely soften the suggestion into something that wasn’t finalized.

Skilled hands continued shuffling the deck and once it seemed like V’zire was settled into his seat, D’hys dealt, setting the pile down between them. “The next batch of weyrlings are graduating soon. I’ve heard some good things about some of them.” He hadn’t; not really. He knew Erisi was a hot lay for quick meetings in dark corners and knew Valerian was surprisingly kinky and okay with group sex – at least when it involved submitting to Z’ia and him. Not much else was known about the clutch outside of Krypth flying every time you turned around and D’hys typically kept it that way. Weyrlings were a waste of time for the most part since they were young, whiny, or idiots that would between recklessly. Until they proved they could last two turns and get an honorific, D’hys didn’t give them much thought. For V’zire and small talk, however, he pretended he did. “When wings start up again, I hope we get a couple of the highly sought after ones.”

There seemed to be no wrong that D'hys could do around V'zire. The bluerider had effectively wriggled his way past the greenrider's securities, and he handled V'zire with such care that it was no surprise the greenrider was infatuated with him by now. The relationship was slow to develop, but it had its rewards for both of them. D'hys was slowly creeping towards his goal of sex, and V'zire was finally taking a chance and giving a functional relationship a chance. As he saw things, everything right now was perfect. He liked D'hys, and was more than a little attracted to him. He was sure now that D'hys liked him as well, even if it had taken him months to be convinced of that fact.

"Me?" the greenrider squawked, "Cheat?" V'zire was the last person to attempt such a ploy, mostly because he wasn't clever enough to pull it off. Besides, he never minded losing! The fun was in the game rather than who came out the victor. D'hys laid out the rules, and V'zire couldn't fathom a reason to object to them. In fact, he was sure that he wouldn't mind losing. The greenrider smiled shyly, and nodded his head.the rules were fine by him. "Loser over all or loser every round?" V'zire asked coyly, and then immediately was embarrassed over his own words. He blushed, and turned his attention more devoutly towards his own cards.

"It's the first clutch a lot of the Stolen has been able to Stand for. It's nice to see so many of them adjusting." V'zire had a lot of faith in the youngsters, though in reality some of the new Weyrlings were older than him. He hadn't socialized a lot with any of them, but even if there were a few troublemakers in the group, V'zire quickly overlooked it. He was fairly certain that he liked them all! "I'm sure even if he we get some that are... less stellar, you'll be able to whip them up into shape." As with his confidence in the goodness of people, his faith in D'hys was nearly unwavering. He organized the cards in his hand, which probably made it fairly obvious what he had, but V'zire didn't pay much attention. "You first," he said with a smile, gesturing to the bluerider's hand.

“It’s nice seeing the community come together,” D’hys didn’t overly care if the Stolen were adapting or not so long as they minded their tongues around him and no harm befell Zeianth. They could say and do whatever they want otherwise. No, that wasn’t entirely true; he didn’t want any dragon to be injured and his blood still boiled over the thought of a Stolen injuring his Search dragon. That bastard would pay for it one day with blood for blood but for now D’hys enjoyed simply staring the man down and making sure he knew he was always being watched. As to V’zire’s opinion, D’hys could at least agree on that without having to know more about the men. He was slowly whipping the greenrider into shape and with Niskziath’s attention span, that was an impressive feat so the determination D’hys possessed would be enough to get him through horribly trained weyrlings.

He showed his hand and smiled when V’zire’s own came into view. “My win,” he playfully boasted and leaned in for the victory kiss to be given. It was hard to beat him at cards and only B’jin had ever given him a true run for his marks so D’hys wasn’t worried now. In order to make sure V’zire remained in good spirits and it could be used to his advantage later on, D’hys came up with another twist to the wins. “Loser of every round kisses the winner but the overall winner gets to reward the loser.” He already had his prize in mind and with a carefully said word here and a gentle touch there, D’hys knew he’d pull it off as well.

"I'm not sure I'd say that we're... coming all together, at least not completely. But, I think we're at a better place than we were when we started all of this." Of course, there were still some Northerners adjusting, and the recent murder attempt on the Weyrleader had only stirred the pot. V'zire didn't like to think on such negative events, but that hardly meant he wasn't oblivious to them. He just preferred to think about... well, anything else. For example, he much preferred thinking about what he was going to have for dinner than about who had tried to murder they're Weyrleader. Oh, maybe he should just call D'ren by his name now since S'kef was temporarily in his place.

V'zire couldn't even bring himself to look properly disappointed when he lost the hand. He was terrible at cards, and even in games where he didn't have to rely on wit, luck never favored him. So, it really didn't surprise him that D'hys had secured the first hand's victory. The greenrider was trying fairly hard not to blush like an idiot over the idea of rewarding D'hys for his victory. V'zire was comfortable enough that kissing the bluerider hardly phased him. He leaned over the space between them, planting a quick kiss to D'hys' cheek. The smile on his face when he settled back into his spot made it quite clear that he would've kissed D'hys more properly if he wasn't in a playful mood and teasing the bluerider a little. V'zire was slowly coming out of his shell around D'hys, especially now that the bluerider's attention was definitely genuine as he saw it.

"I can't argue with that idea, especially since I think I am... uh... very good at losing." Should he be admitting that? Probably not. The next hand was dealt, and D'hys won without the smallest competition from V'zire's own hand of cards. "Oh, wow. I really am good at losing." D'hys wouldn't find this nearly as fun if V'zire couldn't put up a little bit of a fight! He was a little worried that D'hys would grow bored of their game, especially since V'zire was no good when it came to cards.

It was hard to say if D’hys truly was enjoying himself or if it was all an act. He loved winning and that was usually enough to keep his spirits high but it wasn’t like V’zire was much of a challenge when it came to cards. The idea to throw a hand after the fourth win came to mind but he suspected V’zire would catch on to that and either silently pout or call him on it and pout. Either way, it wasn’t worth dealing with the pout and trying to cheer the greenrider back up. In the end, they were both winning with every hand that finished since chaste kisses were being given out. That had to count for something and keep the smile on both faces, right?

By the time the drinks were finished, D’hys felt they had killed enough time chatting about random things and playing cards. In the end, V’zire had come surprisingly close to beating him on several hands and the way the man didn’t seem to notice how good a hand was he had was a powerful weapon. No one would suspect what he held and D’hys decided that could come in handy. “You’re not that bad at poker, you know. I think with a few lessons together we can send you out on unsuspecting prey and surprise quite a few opponents.” His grin was easy and playful but there was also a hint of something more there as well. He was a crafty man and liked the idea of making a profit on such a move or simply even making a few people look like fools for losing to such a sweet greenrider.

“For now, though, I think I owe you a treat in return as per our rules,” D’hys got to his feet and held out a hand for V’zire to take and join him. Once he had the greenrider in his hold, a slow and lingering kiss was given and D’hys started to move them across the room for the bedroom. It was going to be a challenge but he knew he could win it. “Trust me, okay?” Imploring eyes that begged for that trust were given and D’hys kept moving them to the bedroom stopping only once they reached the edge of the bed.

“Take off your shirt and lay on your stomach in the middle of the bed. You’ll love what I have in store, I promise.” D’hys gave an adorable and quick kiss to V’zire’s nose and grinned. It was a move stolen right from R’nd’s book after he saw the pathetic bluerider with B’jin one afternoon. If nothing else, they were good for inspiring his sappiness he had to play up for V’zire.

It was the first time anyone had told him he was decent at poker. V'zire usually wasn't terribly ashamed to admit how poorly he played the game, and his friends most often laughed with him when he lost time and time again. The look D'hys received after he claimed that V'zire wasn't terrible was a dubious one. Despite everything D'hys was lying to him over, that comment was the only one to spark the tiniest bit of doubt. V'zire thought D'hys was lying over cards, and had no idea just to what extent the bluerider was playing him.

"Uhh... you did just beat me every hand we played," the greenrider pointed out tentatively. Of course, if he had minded losing all the time D'hys would have known. V'zire was rather comfortable with handing D'hys a victory kiss with every hand, though they were remarkably chaste. If caught in the right mood, and if D'hys played his cards right, the bluerider could coerce V'zire into a compromising position. The greenrider was terribly attracted to D'hys, and turned to putty in D'hys' hands when their kisses were less than chaste. The occasion could still be considered uncommon, since V'zire was hardly a sexual creature by nature. He was invested in D'hys because he believed he could love him. If he wanted a good lay, he would have been like a lot of the other greenriders who were a little more free spirited.

"A treat from you is probably going to be my only victory for the night," he replied with a small smile as he reached out to take D'hys' hand. Pulling himself up to his feet, he lingered close to D'hys, accepting the man's kiss and returning it happily. Naturally, the call for trust worried him for a moment. V'zire nearly frowned at the request, uncertain what trust D'hys needed that hadn't already been given to him. However, he melted a little at the look on D'hys' face. Reluctance withered away in favor of trust, and he nodded his head. "Okay."

Which he suddenly wasn't sure was okay when D'hys led him back towards his bedroom. For a brief moment, he looked just as panicked as he felt. It was likely that if D'hys had moved too quickly, V'zire would have found some excuse to slip away to another part of the hut that wasn't his bedroom. Shells, he was just as concerned for how untidy it could be (which it wasn't) as he was over the implications of heading into his bedroom. A quick glance around his room was given to make sure everything was in place before D'hys placed another request upon him.

He froze for a moment, and then a blush was as clear as day upon his cheeks. He was embarrassed and nervous. "U-uh-uhhh, o-okay," his stuttering had been in control up to now. When he got nervous, his voice shook with his words. The adorable kiss to his nose soothed him a little, and after a few moments of anxious deliberation he followed through with his own words. It was by no means a show when V'zire pulled his shirt up over his head. He wasn't quite confident with his own body, so a few moments after his torso had been bared he was crawling onto his bed and lying down on his stomach.

All he could think was that he hoped D'hys didn't suddenly find him unattractive or inadequate.

V’zire was such a good greenrider, obeying him without question. D’hys smirked when V’zire crawled onto the bed, pleased by how smoothly everything was moving. The stuttering was adorable since it made it obvious what the precious man was thinking but he still had enough trust in him to take a bluerider at his word that everything would be fine and something he enjoyed. No doubt V’zire would enjoy sex with him – who didn’t? – but D’hys also knew better than to push that far that night despite the set up he had going.

Silently, he crawled onto the bed after V’zire had taken up the requested position and went a step further by straddling the man at the thighs. It would have been the perfect spot if legs had been spread and clothing non-existent but as it was, D’hys hadn’t even removed his shirt as a gesture of good faith since any sort of stripping was likely to cause V’zire heart failure as he panicked himself to death. Hands were rubbed together to warm them but any sort of lotion or oil was notably absent as the idea hadn’t come to him until they were playing poker. Gently hands were placed on V’zire’s shoulders and fingers began kneading along the smooth skin back and forth several times before palms circled down V’zire’s back.

“A proper pampering always includes a massage and I intend to work every kink and knot out until you’re utterly relaxed,” and putty in my hands. D’hys knew he already owned V’zire thanks to his acting and perfect plays but this was going to be a nice advancement. Who could mistrust a man with such gentle hands that would spend any amount of time giving comfort to someone else? By the time he was done with the massage, D’hys knew he was going to be rewarded with a nice amount of make out times and possible a – disappointingly innocent – night in the elusive greenrider’s bed!

V'zire was embarrassed well beyond what was normal for him when D'hys crawled onto the bed after him. The greenrider was practically hiding his face from the idea of getting embarrassed over D'hys knowing he was embarrassed. Once his train of thought began to slip from his grasp, his mental status took a tumble quickly downwards from there. V'zire hadn't really had D'hys over before, and now the bluerider was in his bedroom! He was chaste, not oblivious (or at least he liked to think so, outside of a relationship he'd be slower to catch on to someone's intentions, but he had been involved with D'hys for months - it was bound to progress to... that at some point). V'zire was absolutely hopeless for conversation by the time D'hys settled himself over his thighs. There was no hope for the greenrider making any interesting conversation, though his nonverbal communication had to be highly amusing at this point.

He was completely tense when D'hys' fingers rested against his shoulders, and the tension was just as much caused by D'hys' own actions as it was caused by prior stress. The young man wasn't often treated into a backrub, though someone like R'nd could manage to at least rub his shoulders before he skittered away to the safety of normal chatter. His mind was so tangled up that he honestly had no idea what to expect, but certainly a massage was something he thought of.

It took a few seconds for him to register that something less than innocuous was going on, and took him even longer to turn his head to the side so he could peek up at D'hys. By then he managed to get his blushing mostly under control. "Oh, this is n-nice of you," he spoke up softly. V'zire didn't immediately relax, and it took a few minutes of gentle coaxing before the tension could be felt easing out of his body. It wasn't that he didn't trust D'hys! It was just that this was... had been... a little embarrassing. It didn't take much to render V'zire into a blushing lovestruck fool keen on impressing the apple of his eye, however.

"Thank you," he murmured sweetly, managing not to stutter, though his voice was definitely muffled against the blankets of his bed. The greenrider stretched out pleasantly, allowing himself to be calmed by his lover. "I don't think anyone's given me an actual massage. I think it's because I don't look like I get stressed very often." Now that he was calm, he wasn't miserable company.

“You may not look it, but I can tell when you are stressed from our training sessions.” That had been a good way to get V’zire closer to him and learn more about the greenrider but on a more professional level, D’hys had enjoyed their time together simply because he enjoyed a good work out and liked showing he was good at his job. Wing practices had been cancelled for a time but D’hys hadn’t let it slow him down and he felt there was a bit of improvement with Niskziath’s attention span during that time and V’zire’s ability to keep her focused. It was also nice being able to use it now as a reason for doling out massages.

“Maybe now you’ll fully relax around me tonight as well,” they both knew that wasn’t likely to happen. V’zire seemed to always be high strung and nervous but if the night continued to go over as well as D’hys had calculated somewhere around the third hand of poker, then he could bring out the rubbing of tense shoulders in public or a sweet romantic massage in the bedroom more regularly and keep V’zire melting for him.

D’hys continued working until it looked like V’zire was almost asleep. He actually didn’t give out a lot of massages and couldn’t recall ever being told he had magic fingers – save for a time or two with women – but it seemed to have gone over well enough for a first time. Softly, he slipped free of his perch and stretched out beside V’zire on his side. “You look extremely comfortable and tired. Both are things I’m starting to feel now that I’m lying down.” D’hys smiled and gave a kiss to V’zire’s forehead but purposely kept his hands to himself. Another touch right then might spook the greenrider into thinking he was going for more. That had been the original plan but D’hys felt he had pushed V’zire enough for one night. He was getting closer to the sexual territory though and a hand job would surely be exchanged soon enough. “So, I should probably go. You don’t have to put up with me any longer tonight.” Unless he wanted to, of course, and that was exactly what D’hys was saying with his eyes and what might even be considered a pout.

Astonishingly, Niskziath and V'zire did seem to be improving lately in wing training, and the greenrider didn't doubt that it had to do with D'hys' influence. He felt a little spoiled by the man's attention, especially since D'hys was taking time out of his day to work with him and his green. Niskziath was notorious for a short attention span, and V'zire was not strong willed enough to pull her focus back onto the task at hand. They were certainly getting better, but it was still a work in progress. It was no surprise that D'hys had picked up on V'zire's stress! He wanted to do good and impress the bluerider, but most of the time he was sure he failed in that area.

"I-I'm sorry, I meant to relax and be at ease," the greenrider tensed a little bit when D'hys brought up how anxious he had been tonight. He really didn't want to ruin the evening, but his stress was likely doing just that! Thinking about that stress was only making him more stressed, and having it put out on the spotlight made him more than a little embarrassed. "I just didn't want to disappoint you. I wanted everything to be perfect because it should be for you." It was likely clear now that V'zire had been stressing all day over having D'hys come to his hut.

It took a while and some effort from D'hys to get V'zire relaxed again, but inevitably he was nothing more than putty underneath D'hys' hands. He forgot how awkward he felt with having D'hys so close in his room, and simply enjoyed the massage that D'hys was treating him to. In no time at all he felt comfortable enough to simply drift off to sleep, and it was really sounding like a good idea to him when he felt D'hys shift above him. He hardly felt the difference as D'hys moved from on top of him to lay down next to him, though he did smile a little at the sweet kiss to his forehead.

"I am, I think I wore myself out with all the fussing I've done today," he admitted with a modest blush to his cheeks. He was surprisingly comfortable with having D'hys on the bed with him, so much so that in this moment he really didn't even seem aware that he normally would be uncomfortable at this point. V'zire snuggled closer to the man, not right up against him, since he was still conscious enough to try and not push D'hys into cuddling with him. He figured that after a little bit of final conversation D'hys would draw himself up off the bed and head back to his own hut. This was not a sleepover, only because V'zire had been too embarrassed to even suggest such a thing.

The look on D'hys' face when he tried to excuse himself, however, was a little heart wrenching. His bluerider didn't want to go! His? The train of thought left him puzzled for a moment before he came to the conclusion that it was... sort of correct. "Mmm... no, stay? Only if you want to, of course. If you're tired there's no point in getting up just to go back to bed." He was a little too shy to admit that he'd like if it D'hys stayed with him. His defenses were completely down with the bluerider, and he thought it would be awfully nice to have someone to finally curl up with.