"You ready?"

The voice was a dark-honeyed drawl that made Fox drop the book he was cradling and leap to his feet with excitement. A'lex was indolently draped against the kitchen doorway, his hair wind-whipped, his black leathers dusty, and there was a dark smudge like a bruise smeared over one high cheek-bone. He looked dark, dangerous and slightly exotic, his green eyes glowing with an almost frightening intensity. There was little today of the mischievous boy who had dragged Fox to the hatching ground. Today he was all dragon-rider and, although Fox's gut twisted slightly in fear at the aura of danger that pervaded the younger boy, there was something almost mesmerizing about him. 

Fox had the sudden realization that touching a dragon-rider was the nearest he'd probably ever come to touching dragons and maybe *that* was why non-riders chose to stay in the Weyr. Because in sating a rider's lust, he would also be giving pleasure to the rider's dragon. Suddenly, although the idea still frightened him, Fox wondered whether that in itself was enough reason to submit.

"I'm ready," he whispered, and saw A'lex's eyes dilate a little as though some manner of Fox's inner thoughts had carried with the soft words.

A'lex led Fox towards his weyr, careful to keep the boy close to his side whenever they passed any other riders. He knew he should chat to Fox, reassure him, charm him with innocent jokes and casual banter, but he'd just spent three hours flying maneuvers with Seth and he was still so thoroughly entwined with his dragon's thoughts that he was struggling to control his instinct to simply throw the pretty drudge against a wall and bury himself inside Fox's sweetness. It wasn't helping that Fox was being so inexplicably compliant. A'lex had anticipated having to convince Fox to accompany him. He'd expected Fox to be torn between his desire to meet Seth and his fear of being alone in A'lex's presence. Instead, Fox had followed him without argument.

He wasn't sure whether it was the heat that was surging through his veins, or even just the fact that three hours of flying with a hard-on had centered almost all of his thoughts in his groin but, as he led Fox to his weyr, A'lex couldn't stop thinking about Fox's eyes. He'd told the drudge he was 'kind of pretty', and on first sight that had been his impression of the other boy. Fox was too skinny, his nose *was* overlong, his lower lip dominated his mouth and his eyes were muddy and strange. Yet now, glancing at Fox in profile as they walked, A'lex was revising his opinion. Fox had a 'noble' profile. Strong and symmetric. Without the long nose, the mouth would be over-large instead of sensual, and without the sensuous mouth, the almond shaped eyes would be too intense for the face.

And the eyes themselves…what A'lex had at first assumed was just a muddy indistinct shade of brownish-green was, on closer inspection, revealed to be a myriad of swirling colors that changed chameleon-like with the mood of their owner. Yesterday excitement had colored them blue-green, then fear had darkened them to near-brown. Today they were green flecked with gold, like an old copper coin. Fox had dragon-eyes, A'lex decided suddenly. Just like Seth, Fox's moods could be gauged by the swirling colors of his eyes and, with his secret knowledge of the future, A'lex knew that Fox's 'specialness' went far deeper than just his strange, uncommon eyes.

It was only that knowledge that enabled him to keep control of his intense feelings of lust towards the older boy. Something about Fox's strange quietness this morning suggested that his advances might not be as violently spurned as he'd feared. As though, perhaps, just touching the queen egg had awakened a little of Fox's dormant sexuality. 

Yet what he wanted from Fox was more than the slaking of his lust. Fox was 'special', Fox was the key to A'lex's future, and he wasn't going to throw his ambitions away with a quick meaningless fuck, regardless of how tasty the temptation, because a virgin like Fox needed to be handled with delicacy if he wasn't to be traumatized by the experience.

A'lex groaned slightly, unsure whether it was his conscience or his ambition that was keeping him from simply grabbing at the skinny but delectable ass beside him.

"Are you alright?" Fox asked, reaching out and touching A'lex's arm in concern.

The younger boy jerked away as though burnt, his eyes blazing. Fox pulled his hand back and dropped his eyes in embarrassment, wondering whether touching a rider without permission was as great an offence as touching a dragon. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

A'lex looked at him in surprise and breathed a sigh of relief that Fox was too innocent to understand that he'd come within a hairs-breadth of being simply slammed against the wall and taken forcefully.

"No, I'm the one who should apologize," he said easily, throwing his arm companionably around Fox's shoulders and forcing his cock to ignore the delicious sensation of Fox shivering under his unexpected touch. "We had a really tough training session today. Our wing-leader thinks the best way to keep us well-behaved is to wear us out, I think." He laughed ruefully. "Poor Seth is exhausted and just wants to sleep for the rest of the day. He's struggling to stay awake long enough to meet you."

"Really?" Fox asked, completely awed at the thought of a bronze dragon *wanting* to meet him.

"Of course," A'lex reassured him, squeezing his arm a little tighter around Fox's shoulders. "Any friend of mine is a friend of Seth's."

"Wow," Fox mumbled.

"If you make me feel happy, *he's* happy too," A'lex added. He felt a tremor run through Fox at the comment and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, suddenly sure of why Fox was being less jumpy with him this morning.

"Of course," Seth interrupted lazily. "He's beginning to feel the dragon-thrall, and believes the only way he can satisfy it is through a rider. But all that will change shortly when he impresses himself."

"I still have almost two weeks," A'lex reminded him, with unconscious arrogance. "That's more than enough time to get him eating out of my fingers if you'll just control yourself. *Try* and keep yourself out of my head while I play with him."

"At this stage, all I want is to go to sleep. I *itch*!"

"I know," A'lex apologized, "but you agreed this was a good plan."

"That was before I started to itch," Seth grumbled.

"We'll be with you in a couple of minutes. Remember to keep your manners and maybe you could 'talk' to him? Make him feel special?"

"Maybe," Seth allowed. 

A'lex turned his attention to Fox, since they were almost at the entrance to the vast cave that served as Seth's weyr.

"I hope you don't mind," he said, with an apologetic smile, "but I was in such a rush to collect you that I haven't oiled Seth yet, so I'll be a little too busy to talk to you for a while. Maybe I could find you a book to read while I look after him."

"Oiled him?" Fox asked, his eyes sparkling at this new secret of Dragon-care.

"Dragons love to swim," A'lex confided. "Especially after a training session like we had this morning. So Seth swam in the lake before we flew home. Only the water tends to dry out his scales so I oil him afterwards to stop him itching. I should have done it already, so he's a little grumpy with me."

"Oh," Fox said, gulping with sudden guilt but incredibly warmed by the fact that A'lex had cared enough to come and collect him anyway. A'lex really *was* wanting to be his friend, he realized, and the unfamiliar feeling of happiness at that thought made him blush and smile inanely.

"Here we are," A'lex said, opening the door to his weyr and inviting Fox inside with a flourish.

Fox swallowed heavily, took a deep breath, and stepped inside.

"Oh…" he gasped, sliding to a halt, his knees trembling as he came face-to-face with the Bronze dragon Seth. Just as Freyth wasn't really 'brown', neither was Seth bronze. He was an immense shining rainbow of hues, from burnished copper to gilded gold. His immense wings were laced with filigree ribbons of pewter and bronze. The claws of his feet, each one a talon as thick as Fox's own wrists, were the shining color of black-pearl and his eyes, each as large as a man's head, were a swirling kaleidoscope of golds and greens.
"Hello Fox," Seth rumbled, and the shock of the dragon's friendly welcome drained the last of Fox's strength and he collapsed to his knees in worshipful awe.

A'lex laughed gently and slapped Fox on the back.

"Get up, you idiot. Let Seth take a proper look at you."

Fox staggered back to his feet and tottered forward, biting his lower lip so hard that he drew blood. A'lex shivered with arousal, as he saw the flesh darken under Fox's nervous teeth, and Seth shuddered, his whole body quivering in reaction to his rider's lust.

"Stop it," A'lex yelled silently, in near panic, as Seth's interest threatened to rip away his self-control.

"It's not me, it's YOU," Seth replied indignantly.

"I know," A'lex confessed guiltily. "Help me."

Seth rumbled with laughter but dampened his own feelings of libido. Because he was so closely linked with A'lex he always experienced his rider's orgasms alongside him. It was that complete voyeuristic ability that enabled dragons who were unsuccessful in catching a green to still have a full and satisfying sexual life. However, because the sensation *was* secondary it was easier for Seth to control his urges sometimes than his rider. Normally he wouldn't bother, he'd just give his instincts full rein and let A'lex suffer the backlash of his own arousal, but he fully understood the stakes he and A'lex were playing for with Fox, so he dampened his own urges and thereby helped his rider regain control of himself.

A'lex gasped with relief, as the waves of Seth's arousal ceased their relentless battering against his libido, and he gave Fox a strained smile. 

"I really must look after Seth now. Do you mind?"

"Of course not," Fox whispered, gazing longingly at the magnificent dragon and wishing he had the courage to offer his own help as A'lex shrugged off his jacket and reached for a large vial of oil.

As A'lex began to smooth the shining oil onto his dragon's scales, Seth gave an audible rumble of pleasure and closed his whirling eyes in obvious satisfaction. Fox's attention was torn between the way the oil turned Seth's already beautiful scales into shining jewels and the fact that the oil was dripping down A'lex's bare, tanned, muscular arms and flowing over his dusty leathers, turning the clothing the same luminous black as Seth's talons.

"Would you like to help?" A'lex asked suddenly.

Fox's jaw dropped open in surprise.

"Can I?" he asked, his voice a squeak of excitement. 

"You may," Seth rumbled, as though bestowing a great honor.

Fox scrambled forward eagerly, then slid to a halt and looked dubiously at his own clothing. Unlike A'lex's tight leathers, his own clothes were silk and wool that would be stained and ruined by the oil.

A'lex saw his uncertainty and smiled. He abandoned Seth's massage for a moment and turned to the older boy with an innocent expression on his face. 

"You'd better get changed first, I guess," he commented, as though the thought had just occurred to him.

Fox shrugged helplessly, fighting tears of disappointment.

"I…I don't have any other clothes," he admitted. "Mora gave me this set and said I could have some more for the hatching, but I don't have anything else to wear right now."

"No problem," A'lex grinned. "I've got loads of clothes. I can find you something to wear. Come on," he added, when Fox just gazed at him uncertainly.

Alex went over to his chest, pretended to consider carefully although he had found the perfect pants for Fox before setting up this scenario, then he withdrew the old, soft leathers with satisfaction.

"They're too tight for me these days, but you're skinny enough to wear them," he said, throwing the pants at Fox with seeming casualness. "You can keep them."

Fox gasped in surprise, his fingers tightening possessively around the leather pants. Although they were soft and supple with age, they had been obviously cared for. The leather was russet-brown and shiny from the countless times Alex had worn them to oil his dragon. Fox was sure that leathers like these were very costly so he was awed that A'lex could give them away so casually, it reminded him forcefully of the difference in their rank and status.

"Well, put them on," Alex said impatiently. "Seth's waiting for us."

Fox gulped heavily. There was no private place in the weyr for him to change and there was something a little strange about the way A'lex was looking at him. Besides, it wasn't only modesty that made him reluctant to strip in front of the younger boy, it was shame. Unlike A'lex, his flesh was white rather than sun-kissed. He was thin where A'lex was muscular, and even more embarrassingly, his flesh was scarred with the numerous floggings he'd received in his life. He hadn't forgotten the shocked pity in Sk'nar's eyes at the thin ridge of scar-tissue that had been revealed when his slave-collar had been removed, or the way Sk'nar had politely pretended not to notice the criss-crossed marks that covered his chest, back, ass and thighs.

A lot of his worry was that the scars would forcefully remind A'lex that he was just a drudge, unworthy of A'lex's friendship, but a surprising amount of his fear was that A'lex would find his body repellant. He was confused by his ambivalent feelings about *that*. One part of his rejoiced at the thought that the rider wouldn't find him sexually attractive, yet another part of him was distressed at the thought. He moaned in confusion, his eyes glittering with such fear that he unwittingly caused A'lex to stiffen with fresh arousal.

"Well," A'lex drawled. "If you don't *want* to oil Seth…"

Fox gulped in panic, his gaze swiveling to the bronze dragon as he realized how offensive his delay must seem to Seth. With trembling fingers he began to haul the over-tunic over his head. He winced as he revealed his scarred chest to A'lex and saw the younger boy's eyes darken in shock. He had to fight tears of shame as he pulled his pants down and revealed his skinny legs, and he blushed with mortification to reveal his most private parts to A'lex's obviously disgusted eyes.

A'lex held his breath, forcing himself not to react to Fox's trembling nakedness. Fox's skin was as pale as marble, so white that his nipples stood out like dark ripe cherries on his chest and the soft trail of down on his flat abdomen was like an arrow to the surprisingly fine cock that nestled at Fox's groin. Even flaccid, Fox's cock was long and proud. It took all of A'lex's self-control not to reach out and take its length into his hand. His eyes darkened as he imagined stroking Fox to hardness, bringing that virgin cock to life and making it dance in ecstasy under his fingers.

He noted, yet disregarded, the numerous scars that laced Fox's skin. Except for a surge of unexpected pity for the life Fox had obviously lived before he'd come to the Weyr, A'lex barely noticed the small imperfections since the entire package was so deliciously tempting. He gasped as Fox stepped into the leathers and shimmied into them with unconscious grace. He licked his lips hungrily as the soft leather tightly hugged the curve of Fox's ass and nestled against Fox's groin. He felt a momentary envy of the pants as they caressed the flesh that his own hands itched to touch.

"Speaking of itches," Seth reminded him irritably.

"Come on," Alex urged, glad of the distraction as he led Fox to Seth's side and began to show the half-naked boy how to apply the oil.

Still, the distraction soon failed as a laughing, over-awed Fox soon became more slippery with oil than the dragon he was tending and, no matter how much A'lex tried to concentrate on Seth, his eyes kept sliding over to the sight of Fox's leather-clad, oil-drenched ass and his cock twitched ceaselessly as it dreamt of breaching the tight, virginal cavern within.

By the time Seth was glistening from nose to tail, both A'lex and Fox looked as though they had been dropped in a vat of oil themselves. Both boys were exhausted but smiled at each other in shared triumph as a loud, contented snore echoed through the weyr.

They tip-toed away from the sleeping dragon, Fox flushed with happiness, A'lex flushed with an emotion far more physical in nature, and both collapsed on the floor near A'lex's bed.

"I'm so tired," Fox admitted, with surprise.

"Well, you haven't done anything that physical since you came to the Weyr, have you?" A'lex reminded him. "You've strained muscles that have been getting a little lazy."

"I guess," Fox agreed.

A'lex gave him a look of obvious concern.

"What?" Fox asked nervously.

"You'll stiffen up, and Mora will kick my ass for wearing you out," A'lex explained, his eyes clouding with worry.

"I'm sorry," Fox gulped, hating the thought that his friend would get into trouble just for being so nice to him.

"I've got an idea," A'lex said, snapping his fingers as though inspired.

"What?" Fox asked hopefully.

"I'll give you a massage. That'll stop you stiffening up, won't it?"

"I guess," Fox agreed uncertainly.

A'lex jumped to his feet, stripped the sleeping furs off his bed then covered the mattress with an old sheet that he 'conveniently' found on the shelf next to the bed. "Come on," he urged. 

Nervously, Fox complied. Although he was a little uncertain as A'lex encouraged him to lie face-down on the bed, the fact that A'lex made no suggestion that he should strip off the sodden leathers reassured him that the younger boy wasn't trying to seduce him. He shivered when a pair of strong hands took firm hold of his shoulders, and squirmed a little as A'lex's thumbs began to rub against the thin ridge of scar-tissue around his neck, but the ceaseless rhythm of stroking sent tiny quivers through his flesh and he began to relax into the soothing massage.

"Is this good," A'lex purred, as his hands slowly moved down Fox's back, massaging and caressing the now pliant flesh.

"Ummmm," Fox replied sleepily.

A'lex grinned and praised himself for his self-control. He could have made this massage sensual, could have driven Fox wild with arousal, instead he kept his touch impersonal and soothing. With each gentle stroke of his hands he worked his magic on Fox, teaching the boy to trust his touch and associate it with safety and pleasure. Before the two weeks was up he had every intention of being buried inside Fox's tight little hole but, if everything went to plan, Fox wouldn't just *allow* A'lex to take him, but would beg for the privilege.

He considered that image, the fantasy of Fox begging to be fucked and, instead of the triumphant satisfaction he expected to feel, A'lex felt an unfamiliar warmth towards the boy lying beneath him. He'd never taken a virgin before. He'd always thought it a waste of time to tame an inexperienced bed-partner when there were so many willing people ready to just get on with the fun. Yet, there was something oddly satisfying about the thought of being Fox's first.

"And only," Seth pointed out sleepily. 

"Of course," A'lex replied, realizing that if their plan worked *no-one* else would ever touch Fox except himself. There was something incredibly seductive about that thought, a flare of possessiveness filled him as he realized that Fox would be his alone, just as Seth was his alone. He leant down and kissed the back of Fox's neck gently in a fleeting, unfamiliar gesture of affection.

Fox felt the kiss and shivered in sudden fear, certain that A'lex would now exact the price of his earlier kindness. When, instead, A'lex simply climbed off the bed and pulled a sleeping fur over his body, with a whispered urge that he should get some sleep, that tiny flutter of fear changed into something more like disappointment, but Fox was too tired to follow that surprising thought. He just smiled and allowed himself to fall into a dreamless, contented sleep.

Sk'nar was amazed in the change in the former drudge and silently congratulated himself for the decision not to keep Fox and A'lex apart. He had been a little worried about the situation, although he'd kept his doubts to himself. He knew he had a blind-spot where A'lex was concerned. The boy was the son he himself would never have, a boy who was practically ignored by his own father although D'von's disinterest in his son sorrowed Sk'nar. D'von was a wonderful Weyr-Leader, but sometimes it seemed that the very singular-vision that made a good Weyrleader was the same personality trait that prevented him from being a good father. D'von spent so much time considering the welfare of the whole Weyr that he had little time to spare for the needs of his only son.

D'von's disinterest was, perhaps, one of the reasons A'lex was so confrontational with his peers. Because D'von barely acknowledged his son, it was A'lex himself who rammed the relationship home to other people. It was as though A'lex had accepted his father's neglect and made up for it by making full use of whatever benefit the relationship *did* accord him.

Since Sk'nar and D'von's own father had been similarly neglectful, Sk'nar fully sympathized with A'lex's reaction. He also saw A'lex's behavior as evidence of the boy's potential. While he himself had never wanted more than to be a wise and respected member of the Weyr, Sk'nar had grown up in the shadow of a far more ambitious brother. When he looked at A'lex, he remembered D'von at the same age and he saw Fox as being the same potentially calming factor for A'lex as he had been for D'von.

It was a large burden to lay at the feet of a boy who had spent his life as an abused drudge, but there was something about Fox that convinced Sk'nar the boy was strong enough to deal with the responsibility. With the right mate, Sk'nar believed that A'lex would become a great wing leader, even if he'd never get the chance to become more. Hopefully, Fox would be sufficient compensation for the fact that A'lex would probably never fly a Queen.

Sk'nar was sure the two boys would become mated. In the week since A'lex had extended the hand of friendship to Fox, the older boy had undergone an almost miraculous change. He no longer flinched whenever someone moved their hand too quickly. Mora reported that he was also no longer bolting his food in panic and the result of that change was that Fox was now visibly putting on some much-needed weight. Since he was spending every afternoon helping A'lex oil Seth, the weight was attaching itself as muscle rather than fat, and Fox had even acquired a little color in his skin since he now accompanied A'lex and Seth to the lake for Seth's swim.

Of course, Seth was starting to look like a drowned rat whether he was wet or dry with the surplus of oil that was constantly covering his scales. He was so slippery that A'lex was having to use flying straps just to stay on his back when they attended their lessons. It surprised Sk'nar that Seth was being so tolerant of the constant excessive grooming, but he assumed the dragon's kindness was just an echo of A'lex's own surprising depth.

Sk'nar was proud of his nephew. Although he had no illusions that A'lex was simply partaking in a particularly subtle seduction, he was amazed that the usually impetuous boy was showing such self-restraint. It would have worried him, had he not been aware that A'lex was managing his libido by dallying with a Harper girl. According to Freyth, who seemed to find the situation amusing, as soon as Alex finished his classes in the morning he'd fly between to the Harper Hold, slake his and Seth's lust with the girl, then return to the Weyr to continue his slow, careful seduction of Fox. Sk'nar was sure Fox would be shocked, or even appalled, if he knew what A'lex was doing, but to a weyr-bred man like Sk'nar, A'lex's actions made sense. The only thing that surprised Sk'nar about it was that a teenager like A'lex would have the sense to enact such a devious plan.

He coughed, cleared his throat, and stared thoughtfully at the boy who had sat silently while he deliberated.

"I won't ask your intentions, A'lex, since they are perfectly transparent to me," he started.

To his surprise, A'lex flushed guiltily at his words. Sk'nar smiled reassuringly.

"I can see the attraction, A'lex. He's a beautiful boy and his innocence makes him doubly attractive. I'm pleasantly surprised by your self-restraint so far, even if the method by which you've accomplished it might shock our mutual friend," he said, with a sympathetic wink.

A'lex sighed with relief. For a moment he'd thought Sk'nar suspected his ulterior motive for seducing Fox. He'd been terrified, when his uncle had summoned him, that someone had somehow discovered he'd 'timed-it'. Strangely though, it wasn't the idea of being caught out that had frightened him the most. In less than a week, Fox was going to impress a Queen dragon. That would make him untouchable for two whole turns. The thought of that made A'lex's stomach curl in knots and the only possible thing that made the idea bearable was the thought of taking him before that happened.

It worried A'lex that he'd become so obsessed with the idea of possessing Fox. Something had changed during the last week, something indefinable and unsettling. It wasn't that he didn't still intend to carry out his plan to use his seduction of Fox as the means to assist Seth win the new Queen, but the vanquishing of the older boy's heart had become important in its own right too. Every time A'lex concluded their oiling of Seth with his own careful oiling of Fox, he found himself more desperate to see Fox's body writhing in genuine lust beneath his hands.

Each day, Fox was learning to relax more under his touch and to virtually dive onto his bed when invited to do so. The day before, Fox had even wriggled with apparent dismay that the tight leather trousers restricted A'lex's massage to his upper body and A'lex was sure that he would barely demur if requested to strip completely. Remembering that, just the thought of kneading his hands over the bare, firm flesh of Fox's ass made him groan slightly with the pressure of his own arousal.

Sk'nar heard the moan, saw A'lex's flushed cheeks, and gave a small sigh of relief. A'lex's obvious desire made it easier to breach the topic he had summoned his nephew to discuss.

"Have you ever bedded a virgin, A'lex?" he asked quietly.

A'lex's color deepened and he dropped his eyes from Sk'nar's.

"No, Sir," he admitted.

"I know you're experienced in ways of the flesh," Sk'nar said, smiling slightly at A'lex's unexpected bashfulness, "so you understand that you must be even more careful preparing a boy for penetration than a girl."

"Yes, Sir," A'lex agreed.

"With a virgin boy, however, you must be doubly cautious," Sk'nar warned, "otherwise you risk tearing him. Not only will that frighten Fox, but it could lead to infection. Because you've shown such obvious restraint this last week, I feel that I can trust you to do what has to be done. Obviously you have far more control over your dragon-lust than the usual boys your age."

A'lex flushed again, thankful that Sk'nar had no idea of *why* Seth was being so unusually co-operative about helping A'lex control their joint lust.

"So, all I'm saying is the more relaxed Fox is, the less his muscles will tense. So use a lot of oil and take your time," Sk'nar concluded. 

A'lex giggled nervously, as he wondered whether it was physically even possible to cover a boy with oil more than he had been doing all week with Fox. Still, he understood and appreciated Sk'nar's warning. He certainly didn't want to harm his soon-to-be lover. Frightening or harming Fox wouldn't serve either of his agendas.

"Thank you, Uncle," he said solemnly, when he'd controlled his nervous humor. "I truly hope Fox thoroughly enjoys every moment of the experience."

Sk'nar coughed, blushed and reached into his pocket to retrieve a small object.

"I…um…I thought you might find this useful," he said, pressing the item into A'lex's hand.

A'lex looked and gasped in surprise at his uncle's gift. It was a long stick of leather, no thicker than A'lex's thumb. It was slightly pliant, bending a little under pressure, and its surface was soft and warm to the touch. All in all, it was embarrassingly similar to a cock, except that it was half the circumference. Although his cheeks were burning, A'lex gave his uncle a look of pure adoration for his cleverness.

"Thank you, Sir," he said sincerely.

"You're welcome," Sk'nar said gruffly, then frowned. "Aren't you late for a date at the Harper Hall?"

A'lex groaned. He really didn't want to go there, when Fox was waiting for him, but he couldn't risk not being in total control this afternoon. Not when he was finally planning to up the ante in his relationship with Fox.

"Yes, Sir," he agreed ruefully.

Sk'nar slapped his shoulder sympathetically, hiding his amusement at A'lex's obvious disinterest in his Harper girl. He heard an answering chuckle from Freyth who apparently had sensed a similar disinterest in Seth's mind. 

Fox sighed and moaned with bliss as A'lex slowly worked the knots out of his back. A'lex had arrived late at the kitchen today and had reluctantly explained that Seth was going to have to forego his bath and oiling because A'lex's mother had finally put her foot down about his refusal to be fitted for some gather clothes. Very hesitantly, Fox had suggested that he might oil Seth by himself while Alex visited the seamstress. He was sure he hadn't imagined the complete look of relieved pleasure in A'lex's eyes at his offer, because the younger boy had been almost chuckling as he'd dragged him to his weyr.

Fox had felt so honored at being trusted to look after Seth by himself that he'd barely minded how long A'lex was absent. He missed his friend's company, of course, but the effort of oiling the huge dragon by himself had kept him far too occupied to dwell on Alex's absence, particularly since Seth seemed to be unusually itchy and kept insisting that he re-oil scales he had already thoroughly polished. By the time Alex had returned, Fox was so exhausted he could barely stand.

Alex had taken one look at him and had dragged him to the bed, loudly apologizing for how long the fitting had taken him, and vigorously insisting that he thoroughly massaged all of Fox's aches.

To be honest, it had been the thought of the massage that had kept Fox working when Seth had been so unusually demanding. He'd learnt to enjoy the aftermath of the oiling sessions even more than the tending to Seth himself (although Fox felt guilty to admit that even to himself). A'lex was just so gentle with him, so…so…loving. It was the only word Fox could imagine described the infinite care with which Alex always made sure that he wouldn't suffer any ill-effects from his vigorous exercise. It scared Fox sometimes how much he enjoyed A'lex's attention. In little more than a week, Fox had gone from being terrified of being touched to being unable to imagine how he would survive if A'lex ever stopped being his friend.

It was more than that though. Something was happening to him, something was changing in his body because although A'lex obviously had no interest in him physically, ever since seeing the terrible scars, Fox's own fear of being seen as a sexual object had gone a complete about-turn. Although he was still frightened of the actual act, his previously dormant cock had started to react violently to Alex's gentle hands. For the last three days, after Fox had returned to his own quarters to remove his oil-sodden leathers, he'd had to peel the pants carefully off a rampant erection. It hadn't taken him long to realize that sliding his oil-slicked fingers over his aching cock could bring him a feeling of pleasure so intense that he almost screamed. What had worried him though was that he always closed his eyes and pretended the fingers touching him were A'lex's.

He was ashamed of his thoughts, feeling that to use his friend in his imagination like that was little short of a form of abuse. Because A'lex obviously *didn't* find him attractive, after all, it seemed rude and ungrateful to fantasize about him and he could only pray that Seth had never delved into his mind to see his guilty secret.

Perhaps his certainty that A'lex's feelings were purely platonic helped, or maybe it was just his intense feeling of weary lethargy, but when A'lex finally reached his waist and then cautiously suggested he might like to remove his pants, Fox's only alarm was that A'lex might see his own arousal. He stiffened slightly, then relaxed as he realized his cock was well hidden beneath his body, so he lifted his hips a little in acquiescence and allowed A'lex to slowly peel the leather back over his buttocks and legs until he was fully naked.

He shivered when A'lex's hands first touched his ass, but the younger boy barely skimmed that flesh before moving down to concentrate on Fox's thighs. He took his time, gradually kneading the tense flesh, until it became the most natural thing in the world for Fox to sigh softly and open his legs wider to allow A'lex's skilled fingers to slide over his inner thighs. 

Fox shivered at the strange sensations that flooded his body as A'lex kneaded the sensitive flesh. Although A'lex's touch was still impersonal, Fox's own body reacted violently to being stroked in this new place. His cock stiffened so much that he began to squirm, uncertain whether he was trying to escape the strange new feelings or increase them. He couldn't help sobbing as A'lex finally abandoned his thighs and moved downward to massage his calves. 

Then Fox became embarrassingly aware that his cock seemed to be leaking. Some of the milky fluid that exploded out of it in the privacy of his own room was now seemingly weeping of its own accord into the sheet beneath him. He moaned quietly, his face blushing furiously, panicking as he wondered whether the stain would blend into the oil or stand out in humiliating evidence of his arousal.

"What's wrong?" He heard A'lex ask solicitously. Then he felt his friend move back up the bed and gently attempt to soothe his frightened whimpering by massaging his lower back.

Fox gasped, as A'lex's attempt to help just made the situation worse. Somehow A'lex had accidentally poured too much oil on his skin and it was beginning to trickle steadily down the crack that separated his buttocks. The sensation was maddening. The oil was tickling him in a place that he was too embarrassed to itch in front of A'lex, and his frantic squirming in an attempt to escape the oil's effect was just making his aching cock leak more furiously.

"Oh, I'm sorry," A'lex apologized. "I got a little carried away with the oil. I bet it itches like hell. Just let me rub it in for you."

Fox's eyes bugged as A'lex's fingers swept gently down his crack, then began to massage the oil against the unbelievably sensitive skin between his anus and the back of his balls. He was sure A'lex was just trying to be helpful, but when the younger boy's fingers inadvertently touched his balls in their eager attempt to mop up the oil, Fox squealed in shock.

"Did I hurt you?" A'lex asked, his voice full of gentle concern.

"No," Fox admitted, closing his eyes tightly and beginning to pray desperately although he was uncertain whether it was for A'lex to stop or continue. But, when he felt the gentle swirl of a finger against the pucker of his ass, his eyes shot open again in shock.

"Wha…wha…what are you doing?" he gasped.

"Shit, I'm so sorry," A'lex replied contritely, removing his hand quickly. "I really am sorry, Fox. Please don't hate me."

"Ha…hate you?" Fox gasped, in confusion. He didn't dare rise, because of the embarrassing condition of his groin, but he twisted his head over his shoulder to look at Alex and what he saw made him completely forget his own embarrassment. A'lex was biting his lower lip, his green eyes were flooded with tears and he was shaking so hard that Fox was worried he might jump up and run from the weyr.

"A'lex? What's wrong? What have I done?"

"I'm so sorry," A'lex gasped, losing his battle to control his tears and burying his face in his hands.

"A'lex?" Fox begged, jumping up to thrown his arms around his sobbing friend in a frantic gesture of comfort. "What's wrong?"

"You're my friend," Alex gulped, "and…and you're going to hate me… and I…I…oh, shit, I'm so sorry, Fox."

"I don't understand," Fox replied, tears of fear and confusion beginning to drip down his own cheeks.

"I just…I just….oh hell, Fox. I want you so much, and I know you don't want me that way, so I've tried so hard to resist you but you're so damned beautiful."

"What?" Fox gasped in disbelief.

"Please, Fox," Alex begged. "Don't hate me. I promise I'll never touch you again. Just…just still be my friend? Please?"

"You…you think I'm…I'm beautiful?" Fox demanded, his eyes wide with shock.

"You're perfect," A'lex breathed, his eyes dilated with obvious lust.

"But…but my scars," Fox whimpered.

"Perfect," A'lex repeated, leaning forward to reverently kiss one of the thin white stripes that mottled Fox's skin. Then he pulled back abruptly, his face filling with panic as if suddenly realizing he'd already broken his promise not to touch Fox again. It was that hopeless look of guilty despair that shattered Fox's last doubts. A tiny smile of wonder began to edge onto his face.

"You really think I'm beautiful?" he repeated desperately.

"I love you," Alex replied simply, then dropped his face as though he couldn't bear to see Fox's rejection.

Fox gave a whoop of joy, threw his arms around the younger man and began to smother his face with kisses.

"I love you too," he gasped, as the truth hit him so suddenly that it stole his breath away.

Alex looked up at him, his expression a mix of hope and doubt.

"But…but I know you don't…well….I mean, I…I mean Seth…well…"

Fox took a deep breath. He understood what A'lex was trying to say, that he needed sex, that *Seth* needed sex, and that A'lex was scared that he'd believe that was the only reason A'lex wanted him. A small voice in the back of his head piped up insidiously to suggest that sex was *exactly* the only thing A'lex was interested in. He'd witnessed A'lex's acting ability first hand, after all. Although it was hard to believe A'lex was anything but sincere, this was the same boy who had stolen Mora's bubbly pies then lied about it with an expression of angelic innocence.

But, somehow, it didn't seem to matter that much after all. Not when his body was quivering with arousal, not when A'lex's touch brought him so much pleasure that he couldn't imagine that further step of intimacy bringing anything except more pleasure, and not when Seth was lying there, staring at them both with his knowing, swirling eyes, his tail twitching with obvious anticipation that Fox would finally do more for him than simply oil his scales.

A'lex wanted him, Seth wanted him, and Fox loved them both. Maybe they didn't care about him in exactly the same way, but that they even felt *that* much for him was surely enough. In the important things, A'lex had never lied to him. He'd said, right at the beginning, that a drudge like Fox should see it as an honor to be taken by a bronze rider, and Fox shivered with the realization that he now believed A'lex was right.

"Please," he whispered. "Take me."

"No," A'lex replied, and Fox jerked in shocked rejection until A'lex reached out and cupped his jaw in a gentle hand and added, "but I'll gladly make love to you, Fox."

"I...I don't know what to do," Fox gasped, as A'lex bent forward and flicked his tongue lightly over one of his nipples.

"Trust me," A'lex whispered. "I won't hurt you, Fox. I swear on Seth's life that I would never hurt you."

The enormity of that oath stole Fox's breath away. He collapsed weakly against A'lex and allowed himself to be turned and twisted until he was lying face down on the bed again, the only difference being that this time A'lex pulled a beautifully embroidered cushion from the head of the bed and pushed it under Fox's hips to raise them.

"The oil," Fox gasped, although he was really more concerned about the strange tendency of his cock to leak whenever A'lex touched him.

A'lex laughed. "Your comfort's more important than some damned cushion," he said, as though it didn't matter to him that an ornate cushion cost twice the price of any kitchen-drudge. 

It was a small thing, but it was enough to push away any remaining doubt in Fox's mind. No matter that he was lain on A'lex's bed, his ass high in the air, his legs spread apart so that A'lex could breach him in full view of Seth's curious gaze. He giggled slightly as he realized that even if A'lex *didn't* truly love him, in view of the costly cushion he was ruining he was at least an *expensive* whore rather than a cheap one. It seemed a strange thing to comfort him, but then he was struggling to keep his mind on anything 'sensible' as A'lex began to gently knead his buttocks.

He gasped and bit his lower lip as A'lex drizzled fresh oil directly on his pucker, then swirled a finger gently around the sensitive flesh. 

"Relax," A'lex urged, bending down to kiss Fox's back.  Fox writhed in pleasure, and A'lex took advantage of his distraction to slowly slip a well-oiled finger inside the tight ring of muscle. Fox gasped again, clearly shocked by the invasion, so A'lex kept his finger steady and allowed the older boy to gradually adjust to the sensation in his own time. Only when the tight pressure on his finger relaxed a little, did A'lex risk pressing the digit a little deeper into Fox's heat.

He spent several minutes simply peppering Fox's back with tiny kisses and working the single finger in and out of Fox's ass. It was only when Fox began to jerk his hips in confused need that A'lex risked slowly adding a second finger.  Again, Fox jerked in shock, and again A'lex paused to let him adjust to the added pressure.  Then, when Fox finally moved his hips upwards in an unconscious gesture of submission, A'lex grinned to himself and slowly curved his fingers to stroke against Fox's 'special' place.

Fox gave a deafening yelp of shock and bucked off the bed.  A'lex was ready for the sudden movement and took advantage of it to slide his free hand between the cushion and Fox's groin.

"Ohhhh," Fox gasped, as A'lex's fingers curled around his cock and began to stroke it with the same steady rhythm as the fingers punching in and out of his ass. He could feel an almost unbearable pressure building up inside his groin, the same almost painful pressure that he'd felt when he'd teased himself to eruption these last few days, yet the intensity of his current feelings was almost terrifying. He could feel his heart hammering so hard that it seemed to want to break out of his chest, and he had a sudden fear that he could actually die from the maddening feelings shooting through his cock.  

"Please," he begged, and he meant please stop, but A'lex obviously misunderstood because he increased the tempo of his fingers and suddenly a wave of almost agonizing pleasure ripped through Fox's whole body as his balls tightened and drew up as though they wanted to hide. Then a last teasing stroke of that terrible place inside his own ass made him stiffen, arch his back and then explode with a high-pitched wail. He collapsed back down to the bed, his hips jerking, his cock pumping copious streams of fluid and as the room began to blacken around him, he wondered, briefly, whether he'd died.

He came to slowly, filled with such a languorous feeling of intense pleasure, that it took him a few moments to realize that A'lex was still playing with his ass. Strangely, instead of bothering him, he felt a warm sense of contentment that something that felt so good to him obviously pleased A'lex too, although he couldn't really understand what pleasure A'lex was obtaining from simply touching him.

Gradually he realized it wasn't a finger inside him now, it was something longer and less dexterous.

"Huh?" he gasped, trying to look back over his shoulder to discover what it was that A'lex was gently maneuvering in and out of his ass.

A'lex just chuckled and bent to kiss one of Fox's ass cheeks.  The orgasm had left Fox so fuck-drunk and relaxed that he had been tempted to slide himself into the hot heat of Fox's hole, but he had forced himself to stay in control and had instead covered the leather dildo with oil and was currently using it to gently stretch Fox a little wider. He was careful to tease Fox's prostate with every down-stroke, delighting in the almost pained gasps of shocked reaction from the older boy's throat. There was something surprisingly delicious about teaching Fox to appreciate the wonders of his own body.

He waited until the tenure of Fox's moans changed, until the boy was unconsciously bucking his hips in invitation to the dildo, until the leather was sliding loosely within the now slack and willing hole, and then he carefully withdrew the dildo and waited.

Fox whimpered and gasped something barely coherent.

"What do you want, Fox?" he asked gently, not to force the boy to beg but merely to be certain he was truly ready.

"More..." Fox moaned. "Please, it feels so good. Don't stop."

A'lex reached around Fox's hips and took hold of the cock that was already hard, dripping and ready to go again.  He stroked it a few times, until Fox was gasping and groaning in reaction and then, when he judged Fox was too aroused for *anything* to frighten him, he pressed the blunt head of his own cock against Fox's relaxed ass and pushed until the head breached the muscle. Fox yelped in shock, and his erection wilted slightly so A'lex froze in place, taking care to tease Fox's cock back to full interest before slowly inching himself into the tight heat of the virgin flesh.

"Are you okay," he asked, as Fox gave a sudden heaving sob.

"You...you're inside me," Fox gasped, as though he'd only just realized that the invader of his ass was A'lex's own cock.

"I am," A'lex agreed. "Is that alright?" he asked, rocking his hips back and forth so that his cock would slide over Fox's already over-sensitized prostate.

Fox gave a tiny scream, his whole body shook and then, in a move that shocked A'lex to the core, he thrust backwards savagely and buried A'lex to the hilt. A'lex blinked, decided there was no mistaking *that* invitation and, although Fox's sudden enthusiasm stunned him he gave up trying to fight his own instincts, pulled almost completely out of Fox's ass and then plunged back in with a yell of triumph.

Fox wailed  and raised his hips in welcome. He didn't wonder why he had gone so quickly from a feeling of near-disgust that A'lex had put his cock inside him to an almost insatiable desire to be internally battered by that same cock. He was almost past the ability to think at all. All he knew was that his ass and cock were on fire, that A'lex's touch was whipping him into a complete, howling frenzy of need, and that the particular need he had was for his cock to explode again.

A'lex meanwhile was simply thrusting with a now almost mindless savagery. He was fucking with a brutal, unthinking desperation that was more an answer to Seth's needs than his own. Yet his assault was as short as it was violent. Fox was too tight, too hot, for his eager cock to bear for long and when the savagery of his thrusts tore a second orgasm out of Fox, when the body beneath him screamed and thrashed with completion, Alex's own orgasm was ripped out of him by the milking sensation of Fox's spasming ass. With a howl of triumph, that was echoed by Seth's own roar, A'lex pumped his juices into Fox's ass and claimed it for his own.

He collapsed heavily onto the thinner boy, crushing him to the mattress, sobbing with happiness, and it took several minutes before he came to himself enough to roll off Fox's body and guiltily check whether he had harmed him.  Although liquid was flowing copiously out of Fox's now swollen anus, it wasn't tinged with blood and A'lex gulped with relief, cursing himself for his loss of control. He was almost too frightened to turn Fox over, and when he finally did pull Fox's now seemingly boneless body over to face him, he was terrified by the tears streaming down the older boy's face.

Eyes wide with panic, A'lex desperately sought for words of apology that would somehow grant him forgiveness but, before he managed to speak, a slow radiant smile crept over Fox's exhausted face. A'lex blinked in disbelief at the soft, adoring expression that slowly replaced the stunned look in Fox's eyes and, when Fox finally opened his mouth to speak, A'lex found himself holding his breath as he waited to hear Fox's reaction to what they had just done. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but when Fox just uttered a breathless "wow" before closing his eyes and immediately slipping into a deep sleep, A'lex found himself grinning from ear to ear.

"Wow yourself, Fox," he whispered, reaching down to kiss Fox's swollen mouth before pulling a sleeping fur over them both, wrapping his arm around Fox's waist, sinking his head onto Fox's chest and then allowing his own eyes to close.

"Look," Fox called excitedly, as he raced into Seth's weyr and spun around proudly. "What do you think?"

A'lex froze for a moment, as his first sight of Fox's new gather clothes sent a bolt of almost agonizing pain into his heart.  He forced a smile onto his face, as he stepped forward to admire his lover's new clothes. Fox looked stunning. Fox looked stunning in anything, in A'lex's opinion, but the soft browns and greens of the new clothes picked up the highlights in Fox's hair and the fine gold embroidery accentuated the sparkling gold that flashed in Fox's hazel eyes. Four weeks of good food hadn't completely eradicated years of starvation, but Fox was no-longer painfully thin, simply slender. His face had a slight tan and his cheeks were ruddy with health.

"You're beautiful," A'lex whispered sincerely, his heart plummeting as he realized that this was the last time he'd be able to say that to Fox for at least two turns.  As soon as Fox impressed the gold hatchling, he'd be whipped away from Alex's side. The relationship that everyone had been so tolerant of, and generally approving of, would be instantly curtailed. 

He'd known that. He'd always known this day was the end of his dalliance with Fox and the beginning of his campaign to throw countless other partners in Fox's face until the boy was sick with jealousy and desperate to do *anything* to win him back.  So why the hell did it now hurt him like a knife twisting in his gut to even consider what this day would bring?

"Really?" Fox asked, his eyes frightened but his face trusting, as though A'lex's opinion was the only one that mattered to him.

A'lex swallowed heavily, then turned away to hide the sudden treacherous tears that were stinging his eyes.

"I have something for you," he said gruffly, walking to a shelf near the bed they had almost lived in together for the last six days and reaching for a small, ornate box.  He snapped the lid open, fumbled inside and retrieved a small object before turning back to where Fox was shuffling worriedly from foot to foot.

Fox trembled uncertainly as a stone-faced A'lex reached out, took hold of the ear-lobe that had been pierced for his slave mark and slipped something into it, then led Fox to the mirror and showed him his gift.

With a gasp of wonder, Fox reached up touch the vivid green gemstone in its setting of finest gold.  "It's exactly like yours," he whispered, his voice full of wonder.

A'lex gulped and closed his eyes as he struggled for the right words.

"It's...well, it's the kind of gift that is usually shared by mates. I...I can't actually become your bond-mate, Fox, but...well, I hope...well, that you'll wear it for me anyway."

Fox smiled at him gently. "I understand, A'lex. I know your ambitions. I know you want to fly the queen and mate with her rider. I don't know if that's possible, but if anyone can do it *you* can. I wouldn't love you so much if I didn't believe you're the kind of person that *makes* his dreams come true instead of sitting around and hoping. I love you too much to ever become a burden to you, so I'll wear your mark happily and never ask more of you than you're able to give."

A'lex reached forward and drew him into a tight hug. He felt bitter that Fox naturally assumed his refusal to mate with him was because he didn't love him enough. He couldn't possibly explain that he'd initially intended to use the offer of the earring as leverage against the boy who was destined to become the first ever male-rider of a Gold Dragon.

When he'd commissioned the duplicate earring, two weeks and seemingly a life-time ago, it had been just another of his carefully hatched plans with Seth. His intention had been to make Fox fall in love with him, then offer the earring to seal a binding oath that they were to be bond-mates.  Although Fox's impression of the Queen would have legally exonerated Fox of his promise, Fox's own inner-sense of goodness would have kept him true to the oath. When the time came for the Queen to rise, Fox's obligation to his 'bond-mate' would make the Queen who adored him give herself to Seth's pursuit.

But he couldn't do it.

Not even though Fox misinterpreted this gesture of love on his part as the opposite. Not even for the sake of Seth's ambitions, let alone his own. Not even though his failure to abuse Fox's love meant he was possibly losing it forever.

Two weeks previously he'd ruthlessly set out to capture Fox in an inescapable web, and instead he'd trapped himself in his own careful trap of lies and deceits because, although Fox might never know it, A'lex had thrown himself so enthusiastically into pretending to love the older boy that somewhere along the line the lie had become the truth.

"I have to go," he said, reluctantly releasing Fox and stepping back from him.  "Have fun at the hatching."

"I'll see you later," Fox replied, absently fingering his earring.

"Yeah," A'lex agreed, and wondered what a heart sounded like when it shattered.

Alex spent the morning ferrying visitors to the hatching ground and pretending not to notice Fox sitting next to Mora in the front row of the spectators. His wing-leader dismissed him from duty shortly before the first eggs began to roll and crack and urged him to hurry towards the hatching ground before he missed the fun. A'lex just smiled oddly, shrugged and flew Seth to the lake instead. He had no interest in watching the hatching a second time. He already knew what would take place. He'd been there before.

About an hour later he began to feel nauseous and shaky, the blood draining from his face, the strength draining from his limbs, and he realized that his former self was now flying high above the hatching-ground. He felt a sudden hatred for that rider, for that stupid arrogant boy who had so thoughtlessly risked his life for knowledge that would instead destroy his heart.

He shivered and closed his eyes, seeing in his memory what was currently occurring on the hatching ground.

One by one the blue and green hatchlings would emerge to take their pick of the candidates, swiftly followed by the browns and bronzes. Then there would be a long delay, as though the new queen was determined to make a sole, impressive entrance. The girls would be shuffling nervously on the hot sands, the crowd would be waiting with anticipation, and finally, when the afternoon was beginning to fade into early evening, the queen egg would slowly begin to rock to the accompaniment of the breathless, now inebriated guests.

Two of the girls would faint in shock, the combination of heat-stroke and tension too much for them. The other four would flock eagerly around the cracking egg, jostling each other for position as they desperately yearned to be chosen for impression.

Yet the gold dragonet would stagger out of the broken shell, her voice loudly raised in shrill protest as she bowled the prospective candidates over, trampling one of them badly in her frantic urge to reach the crowd. A small panic would ensue, as the clumsy new-born crashed into the barrier that separated her from the only person she wanted. Then confusion would reign, as the riders realized it was one of the spectators she wanted. 

One by one they would present the various females from the crowd, and with rising screams of rage the tiny dragon would refuse them while all around her the other dragons were echoing the hatchling's distress, roaring their own protests yet refusing to respond to their riders pleas to identify which candidate the little queen was demanding.

And finally, an eerie hush would descend over the gathering, as the roaring dragons all suddenly went quiet, as the tiny queen's howls of anger transformed into a rumbling croon of happiness, and in the middle of the expectant, breathless crowd, a beautiful boy dressed in brown and green silk would stagger to his feet in wonder and in a clear, innocent voice would announce to the crowd, "She says her name's Jerith."

Eyes streaming with tears, A'lex staggered over to Seth, hauled himself onto his back and urged him up into the air.

"Where to?" Seth asked, cautiously of his grief-stricken rider.

"Anywhere," A'lex gasped. "Anywhere that isn't here."

Perhaps understanding that *anywhere* meant as far away as physically possible, Seth took A'lex not only to the far off southern continent, but also made the decision to skip through time too so that they arrived on a deserted beach ten years in the past. Because of the distance and the timing, even the panic that was created by the disappearance of the Weyr-leader's son, a panic that caused every dragon to throw out a mental call to Seth, failed to find them.

Days passed, then weeks. Seth was comfortable enough. There was an out-hanging rock to rest on, a sea to bathe in, a hot sun to sleep under and a bountiful supply of fresh wherries to keep his stomach filled. Yet the terrible, heart-rending grief of his rider made their stay unbearable for him.

A'lex spent the first few days pacing the beach and cursing his own stupidity but although his anger was painful to Seth, it wasn't as terrifying as the silent depression that descended upon A'lex in the wake of the anger. As the days passed, A'lex began to do little more than sleep or sit staring with unseeing eyes towards the ocean. He ate when Seth's nagging finally seeped through his consciousness like the irritating buzzing of a fly. He bathed if Seth's groans about flaking scales forced him to pull himself together long enough to catch and gut fish for oil. Like an automaton, he functioned just enough to do his duty by his dragon but otherwise remained distant and uncaring.

Seth was disturbingly sure that the only thing that was keeping A'lex alive was guilt that his death would cause Seth's suicide and the bronze mourned his decision to hide them both so well, when the extent of A'lex's depression finally made itself clear to him. Yet A'lex wouldn't agree to mount him so they might fly home to help and, even though he knew he could go back to the Weyr himself, Seth couldn't bear to leave A'lex alone for a moment in case, feeling deserted, A'lex harmed himself.

So they waited, Seth for a miracle, A'lex just for the end of a pain he had never anticipated so had no way of handling.

As soon as Freyth burst into the air above the cove, Seth gave a braying bugle of relief and welcome.  The sound of Seth's cry made Sk'nar's heart leap in his throat, and tears stung his eyes. After over two months of desperate searching, he'd finally found his run-away nephew.

Freyth had barely touched the ground before Sk'nar leaped off his back and raced up the sand towards the young man who was huddled near the cliff-edge. Sk'nar winced at the peeling, sun-burned cheeks, the patchy beard and the blank eyes that barely flickered in acknowledgment of his arrival.  His first urge was to shake the boy violently for the amount of worry he'd put them all through, but then he saw a tear break free of Alex's eyes and roll slowly down a thin cheek, and his anger evaporated into pity. He sat down in the sand next to A'lex, wrapped an arm over the boy's shoulder and just silently waited until A'lex gave a small shudder then collapsed against him, sobbing two months of unbearable sorrow out in a wild fit of hysterical tears.

Sk'nar just held him, kissing the boy's over-grown hair, muttering senseless words of comfort and allowing A'lex to cry the tears he obviously needed to shed. By the time Alex's tears had dried into hitching sobs, he was cradled on Sk'nar's lap as though he was just a child again.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Sk'nar murmured. "Love's the most wonderful thing in the world and yet it hurts more than anything else you can imagine."

A'lex nodded, burrowing his face into Sk'nar's chest.

"Of course, guilt's a close second," Sk'nar added quietly.

A'lex stiffened slightly, his head rearing back in obvious fear.

"Hush, lad," Sk'nar soothed, tightening his embrace around the frightened boy. "I think you've already punished yourself far more than I or your parents ever would have. You'll be pleasantly surprised to hear that D'von is almost frantic about you. It seems it took your complete disappearance for him to remember you existed."

A'lex gave a small, rueful snort in response.

Sk'nar smiled. "You'll be even more surprised to hear that a certain bad-tempered red-haired green-rider was one of the people who spent most of her time searching for you."

"Dana?" A'lex gasped in astonishment.

"The very same, " Sk'nar agreed, "although I must admit she said it was because she missed fighting with you."

This time A'lex's laugh was more genuine.

"And, of course, another green-rider also has spent the best part of the last two months searching for you despite the fact that a girl her age is expressly forbidden to fly 'between' without supervision. I think defiance of tradition must run in that family."

A'lex frowned in confusion.

"You may have heard of her, " Sk'nar said mildly. "Her name's Samantha."

"Samantha?" A'lex gasped.

"Of course, nobody's really annoyed with her, even though she is being so disobedient," Sk'nar continued conversationally, "since she obviously adores her older brother and desperately wants him to be happy."

"How..how is Fox?" A'lex whispered.

"Hard to say," Sk'nar replied thoughtfully. "He's ecstatically happy about Jerith, of course, although he's felt horribly frustrated by the need to feed every her few hours that has kept him trapped in the Weyr. He's run the full gamut of emotions over the last couple of months. At first he was frantic about your disappearance, then he went through a period of terrible bitterness. He's a bright boy, A'lex. Frighteningly bright sometimes. It was he who finally figured out what you'd done and why. Of course, it was his realization that you knew how to time it that made us realize that our inability to find you wasn't because you'd suicided but that you'd slipped through time.  Then it was just a matter of figuring out where and *when* you were."

"He must hate me," A'lex whispered.

"He did for a time," Sk'nar agreed, squeezing A'lex comfortingly. "He naturally assumed it had all been a lie and that you never cared for him at all. Of course, the problem with *that* assumption was that if you hadn't run away, no-one would ever have started to wonder what you were feeling so guilty about.  Then, there was the earring. It finally occurred to him *why* you'd had it made and that fact that you couldn't go through with it...well, I guess that's a conversation you'll have to have with Fox."

"I love him," A'lex mumbled.

"I know you do, you fool," Sk'nar chuckled. "That's damned obvious. Serves you right."

A'lex gave a sob of laughter.

"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?"

"Ambition's not a bad thing, A'lex. To be brutally honest, D'von's rather proud that you came up with the scheme."

"I bet he's more sorry I couldn't go through with it," A'lex sniffed.

"Oddly enough, no," Sk'nar replied. "You see, coming up with the plan like you did shows you're resourceful, the clever way you manipulated everything to suit your purposes shows that you're quick on your feet and good at handling people, but the only reason we can see your actions in that light and applaud them rather than condemn them is that, when it came to the crunch, your conscience was far stronger than your desire for power.  *That's* what makes a great leader, A'lex. Conscience, not ambition. It's the reason no-one is arguing too much over Fox's demands."

"Fox's demands? What demands?" Alex asked in complete bemusement.

Sk'nar chuckled.

"Put it this way. The next time Freyth insists someone is 'special', I'm going to turn tail and run in the opposite direction."

"I don't understand."

"Well, after all the dust settled and everyone reluctantly agreed that nothing could be done about Fox impressing Jerith, no matter *how* many traditions it set on its head, Fox put his foot down. He said that since he's already broken tradition, what was the point of him being forced to follow the rest."

"What?"

"He pointed out that he *wasn't* a girl, that Jerith wouldn't react to his sexuality in the same way as she would to a female rider, and that he most definitely was not prepared to be thrown open to the passions of any bronze rider who, and I quote, 'thinks my ass is a meal-ticket'."

"WHAT?"

"Furthermore, he pointed to the green earring that he proudly wears in his ear. Said he *already* had a suitable mate 'thank you very much' and that as soon as Jerith was old enough to fly he'd be moving to his new Weyr with that said mate 'if anyone can find the stupid bastard' and that would be that."

"He did?" A'lex gasped weakly.

"Oh yes," Sk'nar grinned.

"And...um...what did everyone say about that?"

"You mean after the first two weeks or so of arguments, fist-fights, sulking bronze-riders, offended Lord Holders and scandalized Weyr-leaders?" Sk'nar chuckled. 

A'lex gulped heavily.

"Well," Sk'nar laughed, "in the end it was Ttamth who settled it. She went into a screaming fit about 'humans' upsetting her daughter by upsetting her daughter's rider. Of course, all the bronzes became frantic to appease the Queen and gave in, which meant the bronze-riders gave in, so then....well, you can imagine the rest."

"Fox did that? My Fox actually took on everyone and won?" A'lex gasped.

"Don't know why you're surprised," Sk'nar replied gruffly. "He found a conscience for a little black-hearted imp like you. After that, world-domination was probably easy." 

A'lex knocked cautiously against the door, then straightened his tunic and rubbed a hand nervously over his freshly shaved chin.

"It's open. Come in, A'lex."

The familiar voice was quiet but emotionless and A'lex gulped heavily. He'd only paused to wash, shave and change between arriving back at the Weyr and seeking Fox out, but it had been long enough for countless people to clasp him on the back and applaud his good-fortune. So he *knew* Fox really had decided to give him a second chance, but knowing that and actually facing him was a different matter. Still, he pulled himself together and stepped inside to face the music.

Fox was sitting on the floor, his knees drawn up to his chest, his back resting against the side of his sleeping dragon. He looked radiant, his eyes sparkling with the same glittering gold as Jerith's well-oiled hide.

"Fox..." A'lex began.

"Shush..." Fox replied. "Don't wake her. If she wakes up she always wants to eat."

A'lex shivered at the affection in Fox's tone, even if it *was* directed towards the dragon rather than himself. He came to a hesitant stop in the middle of the cavern, his heart aching with the need to throw himself at Fox, his knees trembling with the fear that this was just some cruel trick to bring him back so that Fox could reject him to his face.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Fox smiled strangely, rose to his feet and moved away from Jerith towards his own sleeping pallet. After a moment's hesitation, A'lex padded after him.

"When I first realized what you'd done, I hated you," Fox said simply, his back still turned so that A'lex couldn't see his face. "I felt so stupid. So naive that I could have ever imagined a bronze-rider like you would have genuinely fallen for a kitchen-drudge like me. It was all planned, wasn't it?  You went forward to the hatching, realized I had impressed, then came back to seduce me."

"Yes," A'lex admitted quietly.

"And when you had me touch the egg, what was that? You already *knew* I would impress, so you didn't have me touch Jerith to influence her decision."

A'lex swallowed heavily, tears of shame stinging his eyes.

"Blackmail," he choked. "Just in case."

Fox spun around to face him, his face still expressionless.

"And this?" he asked, fingering his earring.

"A different kind of blackmail," A'lex admitted.

"You covered all the bases, didn't you?" Fox asked quietly.

"I thought I had," A'lex said, a little resentfully. "I didn't...didn't..."

"Expect to fall in love with me?" Fox asked, the strange smile twitching his mouth again.

A'lex flushed, nodded and dropped his eyes to the floor.

"Serves you right," Fox laughed, but the sound was gentle, rather than mocking.

A'lex looked up in surprise to see an expression of soft amusement dancing in Fox's luminous eyes.

"I don't understand," he whispered.

Fox stepped forward slowly until his body was pressed against A'lex's, and he dropped his forehead against A'lex's in unconscious imitation of the way he had touched Jerith's egg.

"I once said I wouldn't ask more of you than you wanted to give, A'lex. I didn't realize that I already had. I stole your heart without realizing, and I'm sorry I did that to you, but I won't give it back. It's mine and I'm keeping it."

"What?" A'lex gasped.

"I love you and, even though you never meant to do it, you fell in love with me too," Fox laughed joyously. "So you're mine now."

"I am," A'lex swore.

"Then show me," Fox demanded, rubbing himself against A'lex so that his erection ground into A'lex's groin.

"What about Jerith?" A'lex gasped, although his hands swept down Fox's back and grasped the firm ass with hungry relief.

"She's sleeping," Fox purred. "But if we wake her up, *you* feed her."

A'lex laughed with delight and swung Fox up in his arms.

"I'd do anything for you," he promised sincerely.

Fox reached up and stroked A'lex's face gently.

"I know," he whispered softly. "It took me a little time to understand, A'lex, but it's okay. We'll work it out together. You, me, Jerith and Seth."

"We're a team," A'lex agreed.

"A Weyr-leading team," Fox replied, then laughed at the shock on his lover's face. "What? You think you're the *only* one around here with ambition?"

The End.

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