[G] [P] 743.08.25 | Tipsy Hands

One of the worst after effects of being poisoned, in F’drel’s opinion, was that as part of the recovery process he had to eat better and more frequently. As someone who regularly forgot to eat meals because he didn’t feel hungry, it was a bit of a struggle. But so was having no energy, never being able to catch his breath, and being dizzy all the time, so he was trying to be better about it. Also, more importantly, because R’dal made that face every time he realized F’drel was feeling unwell because he hadn’t been taking good enough care of himself, and for some reason blamed himself for it. F’drel hated that face; R’dal shouldn’t make that kind of sad expression and certainly not because of F’drel, so even when R’dal was out most of the day F’drel was careful to get sufficient snacks from the kitchens.

Having eaten a small meal and acquired a fresh bag of nuts and dried fruit to snack on if he started feeling lightheaded, F’drel headed back to his weyr. R’dal’s weyr. Their weyr. The semantics were unimportant.

What was important was that D’nei was outside the door of the weyr, staring rather blankly at it when F’drel arrived.

“D’nei?” F’drel asked. “Were you looking for me? Or R’dal?” He got a vague answer in response, and for a brief moment F’drel felt a flash of fear at the thought D’nei may have been poisoned, but a step closer and he could recognize the smell of alcohol. He let out a silent sigh of relief that his friend most likely hadn’t been poisoned and was only drunk. In the middle of the day. Which was a whole new reason to be concerned.

He’d have asked Halomirth to check in with Casnovath, but she was currently napping on a sunny ledge with Zeianth and F’drel didn’t want to disturb her. He’d just have to figure out what was going on with D’nei the old-fashioned non-dragon way.

“Why don’t you come in?” He unlocked the door and gently directed D’nei inside. When F’drel finished making sure the door was secure, he turned around to find D’nei had gone over and flopped down on the bed.

F’drel came and sat down on the bed next to D’nei, waiting to see if D’nei would say anything. D’nei wasn’t really looking at him though, and a moment later F’drel felt a hand on his thigh. He glanced down at D’nei’s hand, which had begun moving back and forth in a vaguely suggestive fashion.

“D’nei.” F’drel caught the errant hand in his own and held it. “What are you doing?” Even given the alcohol, D’nei was acting weird, and F’drel was getting a horrible, sinking feeling about the sort of things that might have prompted the behavior.

Casnovath had won another green, and D'nei had just finished handling it. It wasn't the best way to handle it, he'd taken a long drink from his flask and gotten through the second round that the greenrider had requested, and then had staggered out into the hall and just started wandering while he brushed off Cassie's concern. Should I come with you? Make sure you're okay? I don't want you to be alone. I'm fine, jus goin... goin to a visit. You can stay with your green. The blue seemed uncertain for a moment before a nuzzle from his green lady had him settling back down. I'll find you if you need me.

D'nei let out a soft grunt as his feet carried him through the halls, until he stopped at a door and squinted at it. Why was he there again? He wasn't sure. He was pretty sure he recognized it, pretty sure it was F'drel and R'dal's, but he couldn't bring himself to actually muster up the nerve to try and knock. He didn't feel like he deserved a post flight cuddle. He was sluggishly trying to decide whether he was going to turn around or not when he heard F'drel's voice and turned to blink at him. "Oh hey," he greeted with a heavy slur in his voice.

"Sure, sounds good," D'nei said with a nod as he staggered inside and immediately made a beeline towards the bed to flop down on it, face partially pressed against the blanket, partially staring at nothing as he just took a few breaths and lingered in the comfort of doing nothing. It was easy to forget where he was as he just started to almost drift to a nice soothing dull nothing.

As he felt a weight settle down next to him, D'nei realized he actually had forgotten. But he was drunk, there was someone in bed with him, it was easy to make the logical jump that had him sighing in resignation as his hand moved to rest on the person's thigh. Just get through it, get people off, then he could be done.

He froze when his hand was grabbed and very slowly turned his head to blink up at F'drel before he smiled and relaxed. "Oh hey, izyou... jus'cuddles then." It was a difficult maneuver, but he managed to roll onto his side and curled up to cuddle around the greenrider.

“D’nei,” F’drel said again as D’nei curled around him. “What’s wrong?” Because something clearly was wrong, between the drunkenness and the wandering hand. The drunkenness was becoming more common, though D’nei hadn’t ever come over to the weyr quite this inebriated before. And the cuddling was normal, but they had always been strictly platonic cuddles, and the hand-on-thigh move felt—different. Very unlike D’nei, who had on multiple occasions expressed a discomfort with any sexual activity. F’drel somehow doubted his feelings on the matter had changed that significantly, especially given how F’drel could feel D’nei relax against him as soon as he realized who he was touching.

That didn’t speak of someone who was suddenly comfortable with such things.

But, it may help explain what was going on. It was quite possible it was some lingering feeling from his dragon, if Casnovath had Chased recently, win or lose. Could also explain the drinking, if D’nei was trying to drown out a lusty and disappointed dragon from a loss, or any resulting…interactions with another person in the grip of Flightlust.

“Did Casnovath Chase someone?” F’drel asked after a few minutes of silence in which he gently ran his fingers through D’nei’s hair. Taking the immediacy with which D’nei had gone to cuddle mode, F’drel assumed touch would be fine, and he was proven right when D’nei melted a little more securely into the mattress with the hair petting. Of course, he stiffened up again when F’drel spoke. It was almost as good as an answer on its own.

"Hm?" The bluerider rubbed at his eyes for a moment before blinking up at F'drel. "Nothing's wrong," he quickly slurred, giving his friend a quick and sloppy dismissive wave as if he was trying to shoo the very notion itself away. "I'm fiiine." He gave the other man a cheery smile because he almost thought he could actually be fine. There was that warm fuzzy feeling in his belly that was radiating out everywhere else, making some parts of him just nicely fuzzy and distant.

Nope. Nothing wrong here, especially since he was cuddling with F'drel who was one of the safest and nicest people he knew along with R'dal. The gentle slide of fingers through his hair and along his scalp made D'nei sigh and melt a bit more, his head settling back down, every part of him just wiggling the tiniest amount to settle that much more onto the bed. The question about Cassie chasing made him stiffen a bit though, eyes opening again as he frowned.

The next sigh wasn't so much happy and relaxed as it was a sharp exhalation of annoyance. "Yeah... he caught some... some green." That made D'nei giggle softly. "As if he could catch any other color!" He settled back down, twisting and adjusting and squirming until he was comfortable again, with his head on F'drel's lap like a pillow. "I jus' had a little bit to get through the secon round. Polite. And then I... uh..."

He blinked, trying to think about what had happened next before squinting up at the greenrider as if that would give him answers. "I found you? Or you foun me. Either." He yawned and nuzzled his face against F'drel for a moment before settling back down. "Sorry." D'nei wasn't sure what he was apologizing for, but he felt he needed to apologize for something.

F’drel paused in petting D’nei’s hair while D’nei settled back down, then resumed the petting. He didn’t like any of what he was hearing, and he wasn’t sure if there was much he could do about it.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, D’nei,” he said, gently scritching the nape of D’nei’s neck. F’drel didn’t like that D’nei felt the need to consume alcohol in order to get through a second round, but he could understand why he would. He tried to think of anything he could say that wouldn’t sound hollow—F’drel would love to say ‘could you try to be a little rude and turn them down?’ but knew it would be hypocritical. A few turns ago F’drel would have acquiesced in a heartbeat to any Flight winner who tried for a second round if he felt the rejection would be taken poorly. He wasn’t going to judge D’nei’s perception of whatever the risk might be to say no.

“If you ever need me to show up and pretend to be an overbearing jealous boyfriend to get you out of anything, just let me know,” F’drel said instead. It couldn’t hurt to try, at least, even if most people assumed he and R’dal were mated. That hardly meant exclusivity in weyrs, so they could probably get away with it if D’nei wanted to attempt it. He’d do what he could, even if that was only petting D’nei’s hair afterwards.

“You’re always welcome here if you need either of us,” F’drel assured D’nei. He usually felt bad about including other people in offers of help, but he knew R’dal would feel the same and wouldn’t take any offense to F’drel assuming he’d agree to things.

"You seem upset, an' I don't wan... wan you to be upset. Or sad. Or anything," D'nei said with a soft hiccup before sighing at the bit of light scratching at his neck. It made him cling a bit tighter to the man, though part of him felt terrible for how one sided it all felt. Here he was, getting comfort from the man without doing anything in return except be drunk and in the way. The one suggestion that came to mind thanks to a very different sort of friend wasn't even an option at all.

And there F'drel was being nice again in exchange for nothing. He wasn't sure that a jealous boyfriend would really be able to drag him away from everything though. He certainly doubted it would stop Mads. But if it stopped anything at all... He took a deep breath, shaking his head as Fen tried to tell him he was always welcome. "You're so nice to me, an' I jus... just come over to bother you and be needy and I don't even do anything for you."

If his head wasn't swimming so much he'd have tried to pull away and slink off to his own weyr, but he didn't want to throw up on Fen's nice floor so he just closed his eyes and waited for the room to settle down around him while he took a few deep breaths. "Sorry," he croaked again. "I think I drank a little more than I needed to."

After a few more breaths, and a shift of his weight so his face was practically pressed against the greenrider's belly, D'nei managed to say, "I'll probably feel better soon. Then I can go home or something." He'd probably just nap once he got there, though he was dangerously close to falling asleep right where he was since it felt so comfortable and safe.