Pretence

Writers: AL, Jane
Date Posted: 23rd February 2009

Characters: Zelle, K'hetah
Description: Zelle finds out that K'hetah has caught Rillith in flight.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 1, day 12 of Turn 5

The haze began to clear and Zelle seemed to come back into herself. In her arms was the body of the man whose dragon had caught her own. His warmth, his scent permeated her every sense and Zelle didn't have to open her eyes to know who it was. She knew that scent, she knew the feel of those arms that encased her. The sound of his breathing, every move, she knew it. She could be blind and she would know him. He was in her heart.

Zelle didn't move. She was afraid to move. She wanted to be there, stay like that forever, to bask in the warmth of his hold, of his touch. She knew it couldn't last, but she wanted to linger as long as possible. Once it was over, her eyes open, their farewells said, she knew he would put more distance between them. She wished he wouldn't, but the man had been hurt and he was afraid someone else might hurt him. Even her.

"Are you going to sleep?" the bronzerider asked idly.

"Yes." Zelle murmured just before inhaling deeply. Shards he smelled so good. "You're stuck."

"Oh?" He did seemed to be tangled up in Zelle's arms and legs. "Mmm. Well, I suppose I could sleep too."

"Is that what you want to do?" Zelle asked softly, her hold upon him tightening ever so slightly. "Sleep?"

"I will if you will," he said with teasing in his tone. He couldn't resist nuzzling into her shoulder. It was always lovely with Zelle.

The action surprised her, though it also pleased her. Yet, Zelle knew it was merely a leftover from the flight and not to be considered as anything else. "I don't want to move." She admitted. "I want to stay right here."

"Nothing planned for the rest of the day?" he asked, wondering if he could really afford to just drift off to sleep in Zelle's arms. K'deren was likely already doing everything that he ought to be -

"No." Drills had already taken place that morning. She had things she _could_ do, but Zelle would much rather stay with K'hetah. "Just to be with you."

"Mmm. That sounds nice. Luckily I have a wingsecond. And a third. Nobody'll miss me." He reached out to find out where Loeth had ended up but the dragon was disinclined to chat other than saying he was with Rillith and sleepy.

Another surprise. In the past, K'hetah had been polite, but rather formal after flights. What had changed? Probably just feeling lazy. The greenrider dared to open her eyes and tilted her head so that she could look upon the features of the man who held her heart in his hands, but refused to truly accept it. "Not afraid you're going to miss anything?"

"What can they get up to in one afternoon's worth of drills?"

"They're wingriders. Who _knows_?" Zelle laughed softly, then pulled herself up, skin gliding against his own. "So what makes you want to stay here with me? Usually you seem to prefer to leaving right after a flight together."

"They won't let me sleep at drills?" K'hetah suggested with a laugh.

"Is that the only reason?" Zelle managed to hide the disappoint at his response from her voice. She leaned forward, kissing him lightly upon his jaw. "If you want, we don't have to sleep."

"We can snuggle?" he asked, his tone still amused.

"We can." Zelle agreed readily as one hand snaked up to stroke his cheek. "We can do more, too, if you like."

"Let's just snuggle," he said, thinking it more than likely that he would go to sleep. Zelle had that comforting affect on him.

She couldn't say she wasn't disappointed. Zelle would have liked to do more, but she also wasn't surprised. She stared up at him, her eyes tracing the features that were already committed to memory upon her heart. "Kiss me." The words were half a command, half a heartfelt request, her breath warm against the skin of his face.

He gently kissed her forehead. "Go to sleep, Zelle."

"No." Zelle pressed forward, place her forehead gently against K'hetah's. "Just once. I want you to kiss me. I want you to kiss me as if you loved me. I know you don't really, K'hetah, but just once...I want to pretend."

"But I don't like pretence."

"I can't really have you. I can't even pretend to have you." Zelle turned away, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and standing. "I guess I was asking too much. I'm sorry." She bent down and swept her tunic from the floor and began to wriggle into it.

K'hetah kept silent. Everything he said was always the wrong thing with Zelle, no matter how hard he tried to be a good friend to her.

Zelle got dressed, not sure how to take the silence. She wished she could just deal. She wished she didn't love him like she did - but she did. And it hurt that he wasn't even willing to give her a kiss. "I'll see you later, okay?" She stated as she tied her boot without casting even a glance at him.

"All right," he said, not wanting her to leave but not wanting to back down, either. "Maybe at dinner?"

"Maybe." Zelle finished tying and stood up. She waved to him without looking at him and headed for the door. She didn't know why she did that to herself, ask for something she would never get. She should have kept her big mouth shut.

Last updated on the February 23rd 2009

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Pretence