Family By Choice

Writers: Avery, Heather
Date Posted: 20th February 2020

Characters: A'vel, R'nar, Ranni
Description: A'vel's green Tsogath rises and as usual, Iorath wants to catch.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 2, day 16 of Turn 10

Ranni

R'nar could not believe the whirlwind that his life had been in the past fortnight. Ranni nearly dying, delivering him a son, her suddenly waking up and realizing that they _could_ be a functional couple of she would give it a chance.... It all seemed surreal. It had been three days since Ranni woke and the healers had finally agreed to let the little family leave the infirmary and move into Ranni's weyr.

The last thing R'nar expected, as he was reclined onto the bed, watching Ranni feed Eranar, was for Iorath to scramble from the weyrcouch, answering the call of a rising green with his brassy warble.

R'nar cursed under his breath.

"A flight?" Ranni asked, turning her head to look at him. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him to stay with her, even though she knew it wasn't possible.

"Yes," R'nar said, not evening asking Iorath who he was chasing. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he assured her, pressing his lips to her forehead.

Ranni nodded, lips pressed into a tight line to keep them from trembling with tears. Ever since Eranar's birth, she found herself uncommonly emotional, far more emotional than she had ever been before. As she watched the bronzerider put on his shoes and leave, an ache formed in her chest. How had she become so dependent on him so quickly?

When R'nar stepped into the flightroom and glanced at the greenrider, he nearly barked out a laugh. It was A'vel.

Tsogath flew her way towards where Topaz Seahold used to be, skimming along the beach line so the thermals off the hot sand below could bolster her. }:Catch me if you can,:{ she taunted the males, blue and bronze and brown who chased her. She knew she was glorious and wanted. Who could keep up with her? Who dared?

Iorath eyed Tsogath with a lusty hunger. He had flown her before, he knew it, and he wanted to catch her again. Iorath knew that his rider was close to Tsogath's rider, he could feel the bond there, and he was determined to twine necks.

As the bronze wove through the pack of chasers to get closer to Tsogath, R'nar nudged his way through the other riders in the room, mirroring his dragon.

Her wings soon tired and ached, and she looked at her pack of chasers. Here was a familiar bronze! She swerved closer to him and let him claim her, sating the need burning in her body.

A'vel was wrapped up and borne to the flight cot's bed as they shucked their clothes to move together like their dragons.

---

A'vel woke up slowly and knew immediately that he'd had a flight. The satisfaction in his limbs mixed with the slight burning told him that, as did the warm lassitude from Tsogath's sound-asleep mind when he nudged her. He rolled over to see who he'd woken up with.

**Oh, Tsogath,** he thought on seeing R'nar's familiar face. Another bronzerider, because of course Tsogath picked a bronze - and specifically one who was his friend. The first time, this had felt horribly awkward. Now, well - A'vel felt a little embarrassed that it was _R'nar_ who'd made him feel like this...but R'nar was probably also embarrassed to have done so, or would be when he woke up. And R'nar was his friend, and he hadn't seen him in awhile. So A'vel wound up with a soft, amused, affectionate expression when he looked at the other man.

"I can feel you staring at me," R'nar said before cracking open one eye, a slow grin curving across his mouth. He remembered being struck with a laugh when he had walked into the flight room and realized that Iorath was chasing Tsogath because out of all the greens in the Weyr, Iorath certainly liked chasing Tsogath.

"I am now," A'vel said, but he started grinning broadly. "They're going to keep doing this aren't they."

"Apparently," R'nar chuckled. "If Iorath has to win male greens, I'd prefer it be you than someone else." At least they knew each other and were friends. It had been awkward the first time, but now at least they both knew what to expect and R'nar would rather have that than to wake up with a strange man.

"Has he won any others?" A'vel asked.

R'nar shook his head. "Nope. Just Tsogath." He rolled onto his back, enjoying the relaxed feeling of his muscles. "I needed this, things have been so crazy lately." It was nice to have the tension released for a little while at least.

"Tsogath says Iorath was really busy with Sukiith the other day. What's been happening?"

The bronzerider rolled back on his side to face A'vel. "Ranni went into labor in the middle of the night. It was...like a scene from a nightmare. I run her down to the infirmary, she's barely lucid, the baby is delivered but not breathing, then Ranni totally just.... Goes limp and won't respond. Panitath had to keep Sukiith anchored because she couldn't talk to Ranni." He shook his head. "The healers were able to save them both, though, the baby, a son by the way, and Ranni. I just moved them to Ranni's weyr yesterday."

A'vel would have whistled if his throat was moist enough for it. "I'm amazed she survived. R'nar, that's a horrible sequence of events. But...she's okay and your son is?"

"Yes, they're both okay now." R'nar said. "We ended up naming him Eranar. Which surprised me because she had said before that she was not interested in any part of my name being in his."

"That's wonderful news."

R'nar sighed in agreement. He glanced between them. "I do apologize that Iorath keeps catching Tsogath and depriving you the opportunity for post-flight sex, which I hear is great but wouldn't know." His voice was dry but teasing.

"She always seems to wind up with bronzes," A'vel said, shaking his head. "It's not like I really want to do anything else, I mean."

"Well, you might with the right person," R'nar said. He wanted that for his friend, for A'vel to be able to enjoy his mating flights as much as some other dragonriders did.

"Maybe one day," he said neutrally. "Do you not wind up with enough female greens to check that out?"

"No," R'nar laughed, "I swear, Iorath just keeps his eye out for Tsogath. He's chased a few others before, and he chased after Santiath, but hasn't won."

"I know sometimes the dragons of weyrmates catch each other more because of the emotional connection between them, but I guess dragons can have their own preferred mate. Maybe these two are, and I should move in with you." A'vel batted his eyes.

There was a time, just after he'd Impressed, even a Turn after, when he couldn't have done that. He wouldn't have to a strange bronzerider either. But R'nar had been with him all of Weyrlinghood and hat had given them a close bond of friendship.

"You know, you're right, that would probably make things easier. Eranar can call you Uncle Avvie, you know, until he can say A'vel." R'nar pushed up onto his elbows and glanced about to see where their clothing had ended up.

A'vel was quiet for a moment as he swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. "Closest thing to a child a male greenrider gets is being an uncle, huh."

R'nar stopped the search for clothes and turned back to the greenrider, brown eyes somber. "I'm sorry, A'vel. I didn't even think about that before I said it."

"Why are you sorry? It's the truth. I knew even at the Hall that I didn't want...the wife the kids the craft life," he said. "I mean, the kids and the craft could have been enough, but the wife... Kind of hard to have a child at a hold without that."

If his voice was a little strangled or his eyes a little bit bright, he hoped R'nar wouldn't acknowledge it openly.

"There are kids in the crèche who could use a parent, you know. It might not be the same as having your own...." R'nar fell silent for a moment. "I would be honored if you were family to Eranar."

"I never thought about helping mentor creche kids before. I didn't even really know I wanted it like this, not till you mentioned Ranni was pregnant." And then he'd started thinking about it, rather a lot.

"I know you weren't planning on a child, but...I hope it's a good experience for you. And I'd love to be his close uncle. Tell him terrible weyrling stories about you."

"Well, there are plenty of those to go around," R'nar said, humor returning to his expression as he left the bed and began tossing items of A'vel's clothing toward the greenrider's head.

"I guess you can tell them back about me. I suppose. Though I'll tell yours better with a Harper flai - hey!" His shirt landed on his head, followed by his pants. "Wow, thanks."

"Just be glad we aren't at the bathing pools or I might have towel snapped you." R'nar picked up his own pants and shoved a leg inside.

"I'll avoid you the next time I see you there." A'vel peeled the clothes from his head and then pulled them on. Then stood up and clapped R'nar's shoulder. "Tell me when I can come by and see him."

Last updated on the May 31st 2020

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Family By Choice