Realizations; Post-Flight (Jack)

[Kila]

As the morning sun filtered in and chanced across her eyelids, Sol was aroused slowly to consciousness. The thoughts came even before her eyes opened- she wanted to keep them closed. She wasn’t usually woken by the sun, so educated guessing told her it was later than normal for her to be waking up, and yet she was still tired. Her body ached, but not in a bad way.

Sol was unusually warm too. The winter season was her sworn enemy, along with the baking craft, so she slept with as many blankets as she could find wrapped around her. Though her limbs and eyes were heavy, her furs did not seem to be so. And why was she not wearing her sleeping clothes?

Dark lashes brushing her cheek, she slowly opened her eyes and saw them strewn on the floor. They were not discarded attractively or gracefully, but lay wet and crumpled in soggy piles. And then there were some that she did not recall as belonging to her.

Sol suddenly became aware of the strong arms around her and the warm, bare chest that her naked back was pressed up against. That made sense; there was no way she could generate that much body heat on her own and she was so warm at that moment. But who was it? She had always thought this scenario silly and cliché- waking up surprised to find someone next to you after a flight you didn’t entirely recall- but she had given herself over so fully to Eccolath’s decision that for a few dreadful moments she could not remember the outcome. Looking across the room towards Eccolath’s bed Sol was greeted with the sight of Cyan wrapped up contentedly in handsome Bronze and the answer became clear. Shoth. Which meant…

Fascinated and a bit unbelieving, Sol listened to the steady breathing behind her and felt the faint heartbeat of the man behind her against her back. Like Eccolath and Shoth, the two Riders were curled around eachother. Yes, Sol had felt these arms around her before. B’rak. She hardly dared to think or believe it, but it had to be true. Her heart and her head soared as she laid in bliss, perfectly content next to him. She didn’t want it to end.

Sol closed her eyes and rested her cheek against the arm that rested under her head and held her against him. His skin felt amazing against hers, and his smell, like that of his jacket which still rested at the end of her bed, surrounded her. She sighed breathlessly, soundlessly and peacefully, and settled into him, their bodied fitting together perfectly. Maybe they would never have to wake up. If Eccolath could dream, so could she.

And the Cyan dragoness was equally as happy with her choice. Shoth had shone out through the storm far beyond any other the others. They had decided long ago, when she was far smaller than he, that they were each perfect. The Bronze had been pleased to hear her say so, she recalled. It seemed fitting that at this moment they were perfect for each other. He was her fellow frontiersman, willing to risk danger and press into the unknown. Eccolath had a feeling that he knew how to dream, and for his bravery she had chosen him. She had no regrets with the outcome.

[jack]

There was movement in his arms, a small form wriggling in his grip and pressing closer against his bare chest. Absently, as though the action took far more work than was worth, the bronzerider cracked one eye, awakened immediately by the soft motion. He looked bemusedly at the tiny person on his arms, but rather than be confused or distraught, he merely yawned and assisted her in snuggling closer.

B'rak had never had much problem recalling the events of flights. Perhaps it was simply his nature--or Shoth's, it was difficult to say--but no matter what caused it, the white-haired man always awoke fairly clear and quite certain of what was in his grip. So it wasn't much of a surprise to see Sol cradled tightly in his grip, and while the crippling thoughts of 'this feels too right....too right!' were beginning to slowly slink into his waking mind, he shoved them away for the time being. It was better to just lie here, in this comfortable silence. He wouldn't dare get up or even sit up just yet--poor Sol had just been through her first Flight! Even if he didn't care for the small form as much as he did, the gentle brute would never abandon someone in this situation.

So with a patient hum, he stretched very carefully, getting himself more comfortable before absently rolling to lay on his back, pulling her to lay partially on his chest. "Sorry--I was beginning to get stiff." He explained absently, well aware that the girl was in fact not asleep, but not caring in the least as he began to thread his fingers through her hair, still content to have the weight of her head resting comfortably against his arm, "How're you feeling? Not too sore, I hope...?"

[Kila]

Sol’s heart leapt in her chest and began to thunder as she heard a yawn and B’rak was suddenly pulled even closer to the man behind her. The man who she had been crushing on for far too and had just…. well… Her face burned. I love you too.

A huge smile broke out on the Cyan Rider’s face and she turned her head to hide it in B’rak’s strong arm. She relaxed against him, at last allowing herself at last to enjoy her moment, however wrong or incidental it might be. It felt wonderful- for him to be here with her and her to be nestled against him.

She looked over her bare shoulder with tender curiosity when he let go of her and stretched out. She immediately missed the warmth of his body against hers and began to roll over so she could face him. Before she knew what was going on, B’rak had lightly pulled her gently so that she rested on her stomach on top of him. The proximity of her face to his rendered her silent and stupid. She could only shake her head to tell him it was okay when he apologized for moving. The movement shook loose her curls, but the Bronze Rider’s hands soon pushed the back in place. Her body felt like it was going into shock when he touched her. His fingers tangled in her hair made her scalp tingle. She wanted to melt.

”I’m fine,” she managed to say, biting her lip to try to hide another pleased, but this time rather shy smile. ”I’m not sore at all.” In fact, she felt great. The night before had been amazing, definitely better than anything she’s had with a man before. She was sure it was in part due to the flighlust of their dragons, but the two had had plenty of built up lust of their own. His skin was comforting against her own and his smell was intoxicating, but Sol knew if she focused too much on them they would bring her back to what they had done and it would drive her crazy.

”What about you?” she murmured, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. His fingers massaging her head made her sleepy and complacent. She was vaguely aware of the fact that their night together had many more implications for him than her.

[jack]

With his eyes already at half-mast, a comfortable silence having rested itself around his mind once more, B'rak was a bit slow in replying. He heard her words easily, and understood them clearly. But in this sweet warmth, he was reluctant to open his mouth and split it again.
"I am very well." He replied honestly, the words drifting between his lips alongside a pleased sigh, "Excuse me for sounding....blunt, but I'm not sure I've ever had a Flightlust night like that before." He was grinning--lazily, happily--as he spoke, and absently he lifted her head with a shift of his shoulder, beaming at her with a sleepy pleasure not unlike that of a lion easily waking from a lovely nap.

B'rak leaned forward slowly and pressed his lips against her forehead before easing back into his earlier position, a long, content sigh slipping from his throat. Eyes closed in relaxed happiness, he took deep, easy breaths, enjoying the weight of her skull against his breastbone. "You....aren't upset with me, are you? Or Shoth?"

[Kila]

B’rak’s comfortable mood was contagious. They were warm, they were happy, and there was nowhere else Sol would rather be. Her breathe came slowly and softly and she exhaled contentedly from where she was nestled against his collar bone. She didn’t open her eyes as he began to speak, instead listening to the beat of his pulse and feeling the vibrations from deep within his chest. The words did not strike her at first because he said them with such ease, but the heat blossomed quickly on her cheeks when she comprehended them. He nudged her head up so they could look at each other just in time to see the blush begin to creep. Sol cast down her eyes sheepishly, aware of the fact that she blushed too easily. He had such a beautiful smile. And a handsome face. Not to mention body. ”This is the first time I’ve experienced flightlust, since that was Eccolath’s first flight and all, but if all flightlust is like what we had last night…. I don’t think I’ll mind,” she confessed, revealing quietly how much she’d enjoyed it.

Sol looked up carefully through her eyelashes just in time to see B’rak move toward her. Her heart gave one resounding pound and then his lips touched her forehead. She squeezed her eyes shut and smiled, giggling shortly. She melted back into her nook against him as he reclined, echoing his sight of content. His next words took her by surprise, though, and she rolled over so that she lay completely on top of him and looked down at him. ”Why would I be upset with you? Either of you?” she demanded, confused and somewhat hurt by the question. Call her paranoid, but what if it was asked out of regret? Her blue eyes searched his face carefully. ”You had nothing to do with the flight itself. I wasn’t surprised that Shoth chased Eccolath, they’ve always gotten along well, the oddballs they are. Eccolath chose him and, well-“ she faltered, making the connection between dragon and rider- “She chose you for me…. By proxy. Right?” She looked at him for confirmation, her brow slightly furrowed and her head tilted in confusion. Why was she explaining this? She was no flight expert.

Lost for words or any other means of explanation as she looked down at him, Sol leaned forward and kissed him so she could show him it was okay. Her lips sought his and she closed her eyes. Her feelings and want for the man beneath her surfaced almost instantly and she pressed against him, blood pounding. Teetering on the edge of a relapse into the previous night’s activities, Sol checked herself with difficulty and rolled off of him by her own mental push, landing with a small bounce by his side and laying on her back next to him. She tried to inconspicuously catch her breath.

[jack]

"I'm not going to lie to you. Not all Flightlust is like...well...that." The white-haired man's eyes trailed to the ceiling as he spoke, his brows knit subtly as he thought, his fingers still absently winding through her hair, "I..don't know what that was. It....was different." Shoth and B'rak had won fights before. They'd Flown together and caught together, and fallen together, entangled with others. But never before had he felt such a supreme feeling of accomplishment--of possessive victory--as when Sol had turned to him. It was as though he had captured a Queen of Queens, something so regal and out of his reach that he still had trouble believing it was tangled in his grasp.

Quietly, his hand trailed down, gently caressing her cheek as he though. This was different than a simple Flight, when it didn't matter who you laid with. This was different than anything he'd ever had with T'el--although, in all honesty, there was nothing on Pern quite like T'el--and miles away from what he had with B'nyur. What he called love. Was he labeling it wrong..? Sol's movements cut his thought process short, and his brows shot up in surprise as the small woman rolled on top of him. He listened quietly, not giving away a word, but it was clear that he was beginning to realize things as a strange expression curled onto his face.

She leaned down and kissed him, and true realization burst into B'rak's mind at the contact. His eyes closed and he rose into her weight, happy to accept her pressing against him as he lifted an arm and tangled his fingers into her hair, his hands already seeking out her flesh desperately. But just as the pads of his fingers reached her waist, delicately brushing against the smooth skin, she broke away and rolled away. The Bronzerider's eyes narrowed and he pursued immediately, rolling to straddle her hips, pinning her to the bed in a way she could escape easily if she wanted.
"No. I did have something to do with it." Certain of his decision, and sure by her reaction that she would agree, he leaned down and pressed their foreheads together, his eyes stern and stubborn as he stared heatedly down at her. "I wanted--with every inch of my body and every part of my mind. I wanted him to chase Eccolath. Not only because he wanted to, but because I wanted you." He lifted up, away from her, and rolled off to the side for an instant, his eyes drifting for half a moment before they were back on her again, "I want you....B'nyur...I wanted him. But..." He swallowed, "Shards, Sol, I can't love him anymore!" The bronzerider leaned in, running his fingers over her cheek and curing them at the edge of her jawbone, pulling her gently closer. "I want to love you...but...but only if you'll accept me."

[Kila]

Sol had not expected B’rak or herself to react as they did when she had kissed him. Rolling off of him broke the immediate physical connection, but she was still afire inside. She had barely taken a heated breath before he followed, pinning her down lightly and staring at her with a look of intensity in his eyes. She breathed in sharply, body tensed, as he hovered above her. She had never wanted anyone so badly and she hated it.

Again her heart raced as he drew closer, but his forehead resting gently against her somehow had a calming effect on her. Sol’s heart rate gradually slowed and her body relaxed as he spoke, even though he was so near. His words made her warm and happy and she stared up into his eyes with transfixed content.

When it was his turn to roll off, she too followed, so that when he looked back to her their faces were again close and she was by his side. He leaned in and caressed her cheek gently with his hand, pulling her even closer with a careful touch. He was playing her like a harper the strings of his instrument, telling her everything she had ever wanted to hear. Happiness washed over her in waves, her heart attuned to his voice and her eyes lost in his. She was too in the moment to doubt or to second guess. All the emotions that passed between them seemed perfected and genuine.

”Do you really want me?” she asked, overwhelmed. She tilted her head forward so that their noses touched and nuzzled the bridge of his nose lightly. ”Do you really…. Love me?” she ventured timidly. She closed her eyes, brushing his and then pressing her cheek against his cheek tenderly. She breathed softly on his neck and sought him blindly with her hands, moving them hesitantly to his chest, along his collar bones, and then wrapping her arms around his neck so that she could hold herself to him. It was a subtle form of both feeling and hiding. She was almost too afraid to know his response- she wanted to hear it, not to see.

[jack]

Dark eyes--black as night but with that subtle tinge of navy--closed as the woman moved on him, her hands drawing a subtle rumble of approval from his chest. He smiled as her nose brushed over his, and opened his eyes when she hugged him, staring at the top of her head. Slowly, he reached up, absently returning to twining his fingers through her hair. "Love...is not something that pops up out of nowhere." He said quietly, twirling a strange of curled gold around one finger, "It takes time to build. I...don't believe it can just appear. I truly believe that love is something that grows. Slowly. Over time."

He smiled again, and let his hand stop, resting it on the top of her head. Her skull felt perfect against his palm, the perfect size and shape for resting. Absently he curled one strand again, then sighed, tilting his head down to look at her. She was so tiny, such an itty-bitty young woman. Of course, compared to him there were a lot of men who were tiny...but there was something so addictive...so amazing about the way her small form fit against his. It was perfect, that feeling of her against his flesh. Her hands...her skin...her weight...her warmth...it all felt perfect to him. Almost as though it were meant to be pressed against him. As if this beautiful, clever young woman, was meant to be fit against him, he couldn't help but sit and revel in her very presence.

"But I do want you. I want to get to know you. I want to spend time with you, and I want you to be around me." He blinked, tilting his head to the side, and straightened slightly, looking down at her patiently. "I want to be able to grab you out of the middle of a crowd, and spin you around. I want to be able to give jealous stares at anyone who would come near you." He leaned down, kissing her softly, "I want to fall for you."

[Kila]

Sol listened breathlessly as B’rak spoke and again played with her hair. The way he curled it around his fingers was both playful and alluring. Even the tiniest of his advances made her cheeks grow warm. But she was getting past embarrassment now. She was warm and sleepy and happy, and somehow everything seemed right in the world. When he spoke of love her lips curved into a smile against his shoulder. It was as much of a relief as a disappointment to hear him say it. Love was supposed to grow, and she wanted to follow it that way to make sure things really did bloom. Romances could wilt so easily in a Weyr.

And everything about this romance felt right. As they lay there they fit together so well. She felt so small next to him, but she liked it. He was strong and capable, and she liked it when he dwarfed her and overwhelmed her. He could take care of himself and of her in one fell swoop. It made her feel safe. And he was unique, an adventurer and brave knight to match her Cyan daydream. It was not just his looks that attracted her to him- it was the whole package. The rank imparted upon him by impression, though it put him so far above her, meant nothing.

She looked up, removing her face from where it was nestled in his neck, and met him with sapphire blue eyes. ”I want to know you to. I love being around you. It makes me flustered for some reason, but…. I like it. She smiled and looked down through her eyelashes. She could envision all that he said, his grabbing her and whirling her around, whisking her away from a crowd and from under the stares of all other men. She tipped up her chin and met his kiss, pressing her lips softly against his. ”I think I can fall farther.”

[jack]

B'rak's chest felt so full and warm--so perfectly content as the small beauty in his arms spoke. He smiled, eyes crisp and excited, and pulled her in closer to himself, burying his face in her hair. He took a deep breath, eyes closing happily, and pulled away to meet her stare, his own sparkling with pleasure. It seemed like the entire world was falling into place--as though everything he could ever need or want had just presented itself in front of him. It was a feeling he'd been seeking for so many years, and had barely tasted. It was the feeling he'd seen twinkling in his best friend's eyes more and more as the days had passed.

He could understand why the crazed man was so happy...and tame. This feeling...this feeling was worth every hurt he'd ever suffered.

Full to the brim with excitement and fulfilled to the extreme, he leaned down again, kissing her deeply. His fingers tangled in her hair as he pulled her closer to himself, free arm warm against her waist. Reluctantly, he broke away, but immediately began to shower her jawline and neck with kisses, lifting up to stare adoringly at her. "I have a better idea." He leaned in, pressing his forehead against hers, "Let's fall together."