[G] [C] [F] 734.11.03 | It Had to Happen Eventually

“Stupid dragon!” That was all R’nd managed to say before he lost himself to the lust of victory.

When he came back to his own mind, there were two things he was aware of. One, he was feeling rather drained and sated. Two, he was mad at Ayyonth but couldn’t fathom why since he had clearly just won a flight and B’jin had tired him out like usual. Their fight probably wasn’t important anyway.

With a content sigh, R’nd shut his eyes to rest up after a good flight but froze when he started to turn toward B’jin to snuggle with his lover for a bit. Larrikith wasn’t due to fly just yet. She was close but neither the dragon nor B’jin had seemed proddy to show she would fly early. So who was he beside? Ayyonth was rather smug and the dragon’s amusement didn’t sit well with R’nd. It likely wasn’t Kerrin beside him and certainly wasn’t a gold since they both gave up on that chase after nearly winning Krypth’s maiden flight.

Suddenly, it all fell together. His anger at Ayyonth, the blue’s smugness, and the memory of trying his hardest to fight the lust. Not sure he really wanted to but knew he had to, R’nd opened his eyes to find Parella smiling sweetly at him. To his credit he didn’t squeak or scream but grey eyes were huge as he stared at the woman, unable to even jump away.

Stupid dragon!

Ayyonth only laughed in response.

That sweet smile melted away rapidly as R’nd lay there gawking at her. Her ability to render her lovers’ speechless was as beautifully conditioned a talent as always. Rather like the young man’s delightful body! Wicked delight light up Par’a’s face and she did what any smug, devious greenrider would do – she stole a kiss. Laughing as she pulled away literal seconds later – she was not interested in being bitten – Par’a sat up, completely at ease with her body, and the battle scars of her lifetime it displayed. Age was beginning to win over, despite the influence of her dragon-bond, but Par’a was still quite convinced she was as amazing as ever.

Especially considering that telling sigh, her young bed mate had previously let loose! The self-satisfied smirk gave way to a flinch as Grith not only appeared to wake up from the nap she’d fallen into, but began to dance on the spot outside, only just managing not to wallop Ayyonth around the head with excited limbs by sheer good fortune on his part. I DID IT I DID IT! SEE PELL! I TOLD YOU! SEE! her high pitched and thoroughly thrilled voice blasted without apology into everyone’s mind, and ten times as powerfully into Par’a’s.

The greenrider’s smirk returned, and she reached out to pat R’nd’s belly. The poor man looked like he was petrified in place! It would be mean to pick on him now, of course… Which was exactly why Par’a crept a bit closer and continued to stroke his belly, watching his face with delight; she was not known for her mercy! The question was where to start? “You’re a cruel man,” that was a fun place to start! “Making an old woman wait seven years for a taste!” There was a very mild emphasis on ‘old woman’. Par’a did not call herself old lightly, but she knew, eyes sparkling, that doing so would really make the boy squirm.

Her fingers ran a bit lower down his stomach. “Perhaps dessert?” She wriggled her eyebrows at him, before bursting into laughter at his expression. Most women would have been insulted; Par’a was simply thrilled that she could play him so easily. She patted his belly a couple of times more, a dismissive motion, and threw her legs over her side of the bed to stand up. Striding around the room shamelessly and completely comfortable with herself as she collected her clothing, Par’a threw R’nd a wicked grin as she began dressing once more, making a show of several damaged ties. “Whatever will B’jin say?”

Laughing at the expression that bought her, Par’a literally skipped out of the room, leaving R’nd occupying the bed as she went to Grith, patting the dragon happily and saluting Ayyonth with a cheerful wink. What a wonderful start to the month!

---

I did not play her with annnny justice :| -- Honey Love

He was having an out of body experience, only, that wasn’t really right. He wasn’t watching from afar but definitely seeing through his own eyes that were still unfocused with the shock of what had happened and his reaction to it all sinking in. It simply felt so surreal and even distant. It couldn’t be real! Parella radiated smugness though and even though she was a tricky lady, R’nd knew this wasn’t a prank. Indivara had pulled that stunt once, crawling into bed with him after they had both been with other losers of a flight. He had been fooled for far longer than he should have been and it didn’t make him an expert on telling if it happened again but he knew without a doubt that he had definitely won the green’s flight and had slept with Parella. Worse, he had enjoyed himself.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like women or truly had anything against Parella. She was loud and opinionated but she was also entertaining and kind. She just also happened to be older than even R’nd’s open mind could handle most days. That in itself was odd considering he never viewed B’jin as old despite the twenty turns between them. Perhaps it was simply being bonded to Grith and all that green usually brought about. Her victory cheer that echoed in R’nd’s foggy mind was an excellent reminder as to why he typically kept his distance.

As he tried to find a way to apologise for his rudeness and excuse himself from the room, Parella snagged him with her light touch that had the bluerider freezing up again. Fingers danced over his skin with the perfect amount of pressure to be pleasing and R’nd hated the shiver that went up his spine. He did his best not to show the effect the woman’s touch had on him but her words weren’t as easily ignored. “D-dessert?” The one worded question was nearly a squeak as R’nd’s mind worked over time warring with itself over the pros and cons of that and his face screwed up in shock and then confusion. He had clearly enjoyed himself so was it wrong to go for a little more? Yes, it most certainly was since it was Parella.

The greenrider made the decision for him as she suddenly cut off all contact and jumped out of bed. R’nd managed to fully flop onto his back with his limbs going limp. He couldn’t help but steal a few glances at the woman’s form as she moved without a care around the room to find her clothing. He could admire that in her at least. He was the same way. There wasn’t anything to be ashamed over when it came to the body.

Just as he almost had a sentence formed in his head to thank her for the flight and to even compliment her, Parella had to go and mention the one thing R’nd had yet to think about and the soft flush from sex that still coloured cheeks finally drained away. He actually groaned at the thought of that conversation and knew there wouldn’t be a way to avoid it. The entire Weyr would know that Grith flew with how she had broadcasted the event and they would have seen Ayyonth catch her and every single person would know that Parella had been added to the list of lucky people to sleep with R’nd while R’nd had been added to the list of people who had been treated to a life-alternating experience with Parella.

R’nd swore he could hear the woman’s cackling laughter long after she had dressed and vanished. He’d never escape this moment and he’d never escape B’jin’s reaction on the matter. It didn’t help a single thing that all he wanted right then – besides a wonderful hot bath to soak away some interesting sore muscles – was to curl up with B’jin and quietly cuddle while the greenrider told a new version of a tale or they traded questions.

With a sigh of resignation, R’nd tossed himself out the bed that also seemed like a good place to hide forever, and began dressing. Minutes later and he was meandering out the door and doing his best to pretend it was just like any other flight that both parties had enjoyed. His expression was likely still a bit wild and stunned but otherwise, R’nd greeted friends and smiled at people he passed by like he would at any other time.

Another deep breath was taken when he reached his little home that was shared with B’jin when the greenrider wasn’t busy with his weyrlings and a slow, calming breath was released. It was time. Slipping inside, B’jin was spotted immediately and R’nd’s façade cracked and he couldn’t manage the nonchalant bluerider act any longer. It was best to simply get it out of the way so he could lock it in the back of his mind and be forgotten.

“He finally did it, the bastard. Ayyonth caught Grith.” R’nd waited for the reaction.

Grith’s flights were hard to miss; frequent as they were, and with the dragon in question being obnoxiously loud, everyone always knew when she was in the sky. B’jin had not paid the green any more attention than he did any other time she flew – at least, not until Larrikith informed him, with great amusement, that Ayyonth was chasing. That had certainly woken up the lazy greenrider.

Rubbing sleep from his eyes even as he stumbled outside, B’jin located his dragon and climbed up her side to flop onto her neck and watch the flight with amused interest; he could name several of the dragons chasing and even a few of the younger ones. Grith and Par’a were good for breaking in the youngsters, and B’jin’s lips twitched with amusement as he imagined the responses those young men would have, coming back into their own beside the woman that had helped raise most of the younger riders. He bit his lip to prevent the snigger that was sure to break free, just as Ayyonth managed to swoop in and snag the loud green.

Laughing, B’jin gave a whoop and slid off Larrikith’s side, the green just as amused as her rider; while she was not particularly fond of sharing Ayyonth, Grith was a good friend of hers, and Larrikith was not at all against the playful torture that winning Grith’s flight would inflict upon R’nd. She couldn’t wait to see how this would play out! Humming to herself in amusement, Larrikith settled back down in her little hollow to wait for Ayyonth to come back, smug and amused.

Acting was something B’jin was relatively good at; he could not lie to save himself, but he could act for the most part (and considering some of his extracurricular activities when he was younger, was rather important). Unfortunately, it took a bit of time to figure out how he wanted to handle his poor lover, and he knew he only had a limited amount of time to figure it out in; Grith was not prone to long flights and he wasn’t sure if Par’a would manage to keep R’nd around for a bit of extra playtime… With more quiet giggling, B’jin cleaned himself up and got dressed, for once unconcerned about the earliness of the day.

When R’nd came in, B’jin was sitting on the floor sketching with quick, rough lines and a frown between his eyebrows as he concentrated. The bluerider’s entrance was acknowledged with a glance, before B’jin looked up properly as R’nd stood there looking lost, and stated the obvious. The greenrider stared up at him silently for several long moments, face perfectly neutral; and then it broke, B’jin pressing his lips together but failing to hide the smirk as brown eyes sparkled with mirth; his shoulders trembled with withheld laughter.

All his previous ideas of what to say in response to R’nd fled, and B’jin was left trying valiantly not to laugh at his poor lover. He was failing spectacularly. Standing up, B’jin put the little sketch pad on the bed, and rocked back on his heels for a moment, watching R’nd with his face still scrunched up as he swallowed his laughter. “I saw,” he thought he’d be safe with those two little words, but they were riddled with giggles and B’jin’s face crumpled into a combination of laughter and apology as he stared at R’nd with wide, watery eyes as he collapsed into wild giggles. “I’m s-s-sorry!”

The reaction was exactly what R’nd feared it would be but it didn’t make him feel any better knowing he knew the greenrider well enough to predict something. A pout took over and his shoulders slumped visibly as B’jin continued his giggle fit. He tried to tell himself it was nice to see his lover so happy and clearly enjoying himself even if it was at someone else’s expense but R’nd simply couldn’t be that selfless right then.

Having enough of being laughed at over something he was already confused enough over, R’nd gave up on the idea of snuggling up to B’jin and instead went to the bed. He stripped down in silence – at least, on his end since B’jin was anything but quiet right then – and crawled into bed. The blanket was pulled up to his chin and his head nestled against a pillow as R’nd curled up on his side and sulked. The day had not started out how he wanted it to and he had a feeling it wasn’t going to improve any either.

The idea of sleeping with Parella had never been desirable though he really didn’t have anything against the woman. It was simply not something that came to mind. Knowing it would be the talk of the Weyr for days and something he’d be teased about forever didn’t really bother R’nd either though now that it had happened, he wasn’t looking forward to the first few comments that would come his way when he ventured free of his bed again – which wouldn’t be for another month with the way he was sulking. The hardest part to comprehend, however, was that the flight wasn’t as bad as he had built up in his head over the turns and it was possibly even as good as B’jin’s gentle teasing in the past had suggested it would be.

All in all, the flight definitely could have been worse and Parella definitely could have made the situation far more awkward than it had been. Still, B’jin’s giggling hadn’t helped. In fact, as the shock started fade away, R’nd was left with the memory of how sated and content he had been afterward but now he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be happy that he enjoyed himself or ashamed.

“I woke up earlier than I planned so I’m going to catch a nap before I’m needed today,” R’nd finally mumbled into his pillow as explanation to B’jin for going back to bed. He was tired but mostly, he didn’t want to face the day any longer.

He wanted to feel bad; he did! But poor R’nd’s sulking only fuelled B’jin’s belief that he’d been right in his teasing for so long, and that R’nd was now aware (on a particularly personal level) that all the talk about Par’a wasn’t just various riders being full of hot air: the woman was just that good. B’jin was quite sure if she had been anything less, R’nd would have brushed it off and made a point of letting B’jin know as much. He did manage to begin swallowing most of his giggles instead of spluttering them, as R’nd trekked sadly across the room and stripped off before climbing into bed.

“Love?” B’jin’s voice was gentle and only carried a hint of his amusement instead of being heavy with it, as he quietly made his way to the side of the bed. He hesitated for a few moments, before sitting down on the edge and placing a very light hand on R’nd’s shoulder; he was not quite sure if the previous statement had been designed as dismissal or not. “I’m sorry.” Well… he was sorry his laughing at upset R’nd; he was not at all sorry that Ayyonth had finally managed to catch his friend’s flighty little green.

B’jin slowly took his hand back from R’nd’s shoulder, and folded it with the other in his lap. He fiddled quietly for a moment, before puffing out a gentle sigh and turned his hips a little more towards R’nd, so he could brush his fingers lightly over R’nd’s hip on top of the blanket. His touch was light, and designed to be soothing as opposed to inviting. “You should have stayed with her,” B’jin smiled gently, though he did not really expect R’nd to look at him to see it. “She’s very good company, once you get her to shut up.” Considering R’nd’s various skills, the bluerider would probably have presented a challenge for the greenrider to outdo, which would certainly have kept her quiet and her flighty mind occupied.

“It is probably good you didn’t, though.” B’jin’s voice held the distinct sound of the smile on his lips, as he leaned over to place a light kiss just below R’nd’s ear. “You might have figured out our secret.” It had never been intended by either B’jin or Par’a to lead the Weyr such a merry dance about whether or not they slept together during the week he lived with her following his breakup with N’mall, but it had quickly become apparent to Par’a that the idea alone infuriated N’mall. It had been her respect for B’jin’s modesty had kept her from outright proclaiming a detailed itinerary of sex with B’jin in favour of just playing on people’s assumptions.

Surprising most people, B’jin had been just as mysterious and close mouthed, facts that wouldn’t have been surprising if anyone had known of the greenrider’s history. “And that would ruin all my fun,” B’jin teased, leaning back just enough to no longer be directly in R’nd’s personal space, but he leaned lazily on his lover’s side, hands folded over R’nd’s shoulder and with a wriggle, he rested his chin on them.

R’nd tensed under B’jin’s gentle touch before finally relaxing. He was pouting and miserable but worst of all, he was confused over why he was so miserable. There were the obvious reasons of being with Parella and winning a flight that wasn’t B’jin’s after getting into a routine that didn’t involve chasing all of the greens in the Weyr. He was perfectly willing to wallow in his misery in bed all day to sort out why he was in such a state but it was B’jin’s statement that was designed to tease him that put all the pieces together and R’nd sulked even more.

“And stay in an empty bed? You should be chastising her. She’s the one that laughed and left.” One of his biggest fears and the reason why he never allowed anyone to get too close was being left behind and even forgotten. Parella didn’t have the hold over him like B’jin did where his heart shattered over even the smallest of bickering that left them separated for a few days but being tossed aside like he was certainly didn’t feel great either. His ego was especially not at all amused by it.

Deciding he wasn’t comfortable with the topic and already felt awkward for betraying his feelings as much as he had, R’nd latched onto what else had been said by B’jin. Although, his slowly clearing mind finally pointed out, that wasn’t something he really thought about either and didn’t even consider what was the truth or not in the situation.

Carefully rolling onto his back and doing his best not to jar B’jin too much, R’nd finally managed a smile and seemed closer to his usual self. “If I’m going to learn any of your secrets, I’d much rather hear them from you.” R’nd wiggled an arm free of the blankets and sought out B’jin’s hand to entwine their fingers together. “They’re not true until they come from the source’s mouth and I love the way you tell your stories.”

B’jin’s laughter was bright and truly amused, sparked by R’nd’s words and the still sulky pout on the man’s lips. There was no cruelty in the sound, but the true amusement was easily heard. “Oh, my love,” B’jin shook his head, smiling as he gently combed a lock of hair back from R’nd’s face. “You think she would stay, with you pouting at her like that?”

The greenrider’s smile was placid, and slightly sad. “She’s a greenrider, R’nd. Grith is over fifty years old. They fly every time you turn around; that is hundreds of times Par’a has been tangled with a rider she did not always want. How many of them do you think let her walk away?” B’jin paused for a moment. “She’s not going to take what isn’t offered. She isn’t jaded, not like that.” Some of them were; greenriders like A’liran who would take it if they thought it would empower them in some way. Par’a was not like that. No, Par'a would be just as insulted by R'nd's lack of interest, as his silly lover was by hers.

He signed softly, as R’nd repositioned himself and wove their fingers together. A half smile pulled up one corner of his lips and B’jin’s expression softened. “Some stories not even you will hear, love,” he teased gently.

It wasn’t that R’nd didn’t understand the reasoning, it was simply something that coincided with his abandonment issues and his ego. Everyone liked him! Everyone wanted him! It had taken time but he had even managed to snag B’jin’s interest and that of I’shan after turns of trying to befriend the greenrider and sleep with the bluerider. Going by B’jin’s constant teasing over their time together and Grith’s excitement after the flight, R’nd felt Parella would have been a bit happier or kinder but he seemed to only be another on Parella’s bed post and a chance to brag.

R’nd knew he was being unfair about the whole thing since he had been frozen in shock and didn’t get a word in, not even a thank you or an apology. But wasn’t he allowed to have one day, even just one hour, where he could be selfish and pout over something? Did he always have to be the hero and the positive one?

B’jin’s reply to R’nd’s attempt at feeling normal didn’t go over well either. He didn’t have too many secrets anymore, thinking it was only his birthday he still kept from B’jin. Knowing now that B’jin would never fully trust him to tell all his random stories and secrets to stung. He had opened up to B’jin about his fears and feelings and was rewarded with a smile and an easy answer he would never fully know the greenrider he cherished.

It was turning into a horrible day and R’nd had only been awake and in his own mind for maybe an hour. Still, even with his desire to be pampered and smothered in cuddles, R’nd couldn’t ruin B’jin’s day as well and said nothing about the pain any comments caused. Shoving his own issues and feelings aside as he always did, R’nd smiled and fell into the teasing with B’jin. “I guess I’ll just have to enjoy the ones you do tell me and pester you like Benden does with me, demanding ‘again, again’ with an adorable smile.”

B’jin had never been the most empathic of men, and R’nd’s unhappiness in that moment was missed by the greenrider. Not as a result of his lack of care, for B’jin was truly fond of the man that had been his not-mate for the longest time. He was simply oblivious to the subtleties of most people’s emotions, and certainly he wasn’t in any mood – as amused and buoyant as he was by R’nd’s morning entertainment – to see that R’nd was truly upset by it.

Instead, B’jin grinned, tapping the tip of one finger against the end of R’nd’s nose playfully. “Indeed,” he teased, the tone of his voice and expression both naughty and cheerful. R’nd’s ‘again, again’ tended to come in a far more delightful way than a child’s demand for more stories! Smirking just slightly, B’jin leaned forward to place a light kiss on R’nd’s lips. Sitting back up, B’jin considered his lover for a few moments, stealing a lock of R’nd’s blonde hair to fiddle with as he thought.

“I have to go check on the kids,” sometimes, being a Weyrlingmaster was far too much trouble! None the less, it was something he really did enjoy teaching them how to be dragonriders. A smile touched B’jin’s lips, tilting one side up just slightly in a crooked line. “Will you be here, or did you want to meet me at the pools?” A pause, and his voice had reverted to the teasing tone again, a soft giggle within the words as he spoke softly, leaning forward a little closer to R’nd. “I can help wash Par’a from you…”

Placing a quick peck of a kiss on R’nd’s nose, B’jin stood up before he was given an answer and threw a grin over his shoulder at the bluerider as he slipped out the door and off to attend to his duties. R’nd would either still be in bed when he got back, judging by his mood at the moment, or he would be waiting by one of their favourite pools. Either way, B’jin at least planned to have a bath after he took care of the brats!