Blue Dragon

[tygati]

Yeah, cause it's too long for one LJ-post... ^^;

Part one of two
Part two of two:


There was something different about the sea breeze when you were sailing it on a ship rather than riding it through the skies or feeling it on the ground. It was an entirely new kind of flying - one that didn't require wings. Just a ship and the sea and the winds that Glesyn called to, drawing them down from above hard and fast, nearly hurling the ship across the water. Naefindan had laughed, finding it highly amusing, though Glesyn had backed off a little after noticing that some of the crew were looking rather green.

Still, though he wasn't allowed in the rigging, the bowsprit was almost as good for flying over water. Nae had joined him a few times, Riven and Torhle had conversed with him from the forecastle deck, and once, much to his surprise, Faelin had sought him out.

Faelin, accompanied by five or six birds clinging to his clothes and hair. Hair which was now more green than white, and almost seemed to have patterns in it.

The man had eyed him silently for long enough that Glesyn began to squirm, then abruptly held out his hands. Here.

Confused and curious, Glesyn walked back along the bowsprit and dropped down onto the deck, peering into Faelin's cupped hands. Nestled there were two vivid blue feathers, an embroidered bit of cloth, two sparkly stones, and a golden ring that held the prettiest stone yet - almost the exact green of Faelin's eyes. Were these...?

Yes, they're for you. Faelin rolled his eyes. The birds brought them to me. I thought you would appreciate them more. He shifted awkwardly, not quite meeting Glesyn's eyes.

"Treasures," Glesyn breathed, picking up a feather. "For me."

They're nothing special, Faelin said, glaring at Glesyn's feet.

"They're beautiful," Glesyn refuted, examining each treasure one at a time. They really were beautiful. Much nicer than anything he'd had back at home. He would have to see if Naefindan had a proper box to keep them in.

Faelin ducked his head further, hiding his face but giving Glesyn a rather good view of the top of his head, including that oddly patterned green hair with its fading white streaks. Come to think of it, Faelin's skin had seemed rather greenish of late, and darker than it had been before. He wondered what was making the man change colors so drastically.

Spring.

Glesyn blinked. "Huh?"

You wanted to know why I'm turning green. Because it's spring. My people change colors with the seasons. Faelin shrugged. Lets us blend in with nature.

When Glesyn continued to stare at him, Faelin made an exasperated sound and then Glesyn's head was filled with images of people - people who bore a resemblance to Faelin, pointed ears and all, and as he watched they changed from all white to warm, leafy greens and browns, to reds and golds and more brown, then back to white again.

"Oh," Glesyn managed after a moment. "Neat."

Faelin rolled his eyes, but before he could deliver a no-doubt scathing reply Torhle walked up, carrying a small, elaborately decorated chest. He smiled and held out the chest to Faelin.

"Hope that's what you had in mind," Torhle said, smiling. "I sent Nae down this morning, and this is what he brought back."

Faelin shifted awkwardly and made no move to take the chest. Glesyn looked between the two of them curiously, then at the object in question. "What's in it?" he asked.

"Hmm, I wonder," Torhle murmured, eyes twinkling. "I'll just leave this here, then, and you can decide what you want to do with it." He set the little chest down on the deck and walked off, whistling a cheerful tune.

Looking from Torhle to Faelin to the chest and back to Faelin, Glesyn felt both curious and bewildered. "Umm..."

Faelin sighed. "Go ahead, they are for you anyway."

Glesyn cheerfully complied, crouching down on the deck and unlatching the chest. He threw back the lid and his breath caught in his throat. "Ohhh..." he breathed. Seashells. Perfect, exquisite, unbroken seashells. Dozens of them in all different shapes. He lifted a few out to examine more closely, revealing what had been hiding beneath. Pearls, glistening with their faint imitation of color, in varying sizes. Each absolutely beautiful. Reverently he ran his fingers across them, then painstakingly placed Faelin's other treasures on top before closing the chest and looking up.

"Thank you," he breathed. "I have treasures."

Faelin shifted, looking distinctly uncomfortable. Why do you do that anyway? he asked. I've never known another creature quite so... so... He gestured helplessly.

Glesyn considered a moment, then shrugged. "I guess it's just a dragon thing? Never thought about it before."

Faelin's brow furrowed. You seem to know remarkably little about your own species.

"Yeah," Glesyn agreed, shrugging. "My mother was very reclusive. Didn't like anyone around her, dragon or otherwise. She left the dragon isles long before I was hatched, flying up north where there were plenty of places to live and not be sociable."

Faelin rolled his eyes again. Now that sounds like my people. Live as far away from the rest of the world as possible. I think I am the only one who knows what curiosity is.

"Maybe that's why mother picked the northern isles to hide away on," Glesyn said with a laugh. "Similar temperaments."

Faelin's mouth quirked. Possible. But there's so much they're missing. He gestured at the sea, the world, beyond the ship. I'll admit I was terrified at first, being so far from everything I know, but... how can I pass up the chance to see all the things I've only ever dreamed about? All my life I've lived on one little island when there's a whole world out there I know nothing about.

That was certainly true, and it was a feeling Glesyn shared, and yet... "Don't you miss your family?" he asked. For all that his mother had been gone several winters now, he still missed her.

Faelin hesitated for a long moment, then finally shook his head. "I miss my home," he admitted softly, "But you have no idea what my people are like. If I went back and they learned where I had gone, they would never let me leave the village again." His mouth tightened. "I would rather never go home than be confined like that."

Mouth working soundlessly, Glesyn struggled to wrap his mind around that. Not let him leave? Even his mother in all her paranoia had never behaved like that. She'd just liked to lecture on the dangers of the world.

"Do not worry about it," Faelin said gruffly. "I am here now, and that is all that really matters."

Glesyn regarded him for a moment before managing a faint smile. "Two sheltered explorers off to see the great and wondrous things the world has to offer," he quipped, drawing a fleeting smile from Faelin. Glesyn reached out, then had to take a swift step to the side as Naefindan came bolting past, giggling madly as he grabbed onto one of the stay lines and scrambled up into the rigging.

As Glesyn and Faelin shared a bewildered look there came a furious bellow of outrage and then Lanthus appeared, his hair now a bright, dazzling pink.

"NAE! When I git my hands on ye!" he roared, and proceeded to follow his captain into the rigging. On his heels Riven and Torhle appeared, both doing their best to try to placate the furious man.

Glesyn blinked slowly and looked over at Faelin, finding that the green man had done the same. After a moment Faelin's lips quirked, and he laughed softly. "And just think," he said, green eyes sparkling, "We do not really even have to go anywhere. Surely nothing else in the world can be half as bizarre as what occurs on this ship."

"Sure it can," Nae said cheerfully, popping up behind Faelin and making him jump. "There's the singing tortoise of Torun, and the fire-eaters of Sasqui, and the birthing-day party of King- Ack!" He deftly dodged out of the way as Lanthus dropped down onto the deck and lunged for him, bolting away at full speed.

Glesyn exchanged another look with Faelin, then shook his head. "Maybe we should head below," he suggested, tucking his chest under one arm and offering the other to Faelin.

"It is probably safer," Faelin agreed, hesitating only a moment before linking his hand with Glesyn's and setting off across the deck and down the stairs toward the cabin they shared. They'd only made it to the hallway when the ship abruptly tilted violently, knocking Glesyn first into the wall and then to the floor. He oofed as Faelin landed on him a moment later.

"Erm, um, sorry, sorry."

"Naefindan!" Even through the wood of the deck it was impossible to miss Lan's bellow.

Glesyn focused carefully on what was happening abovedecks so as to avoid thinking about the fact that Faelin was still in his lap and squirming as he attempted to disentangle himself from Glesyn. Considering that Naefindan was the Captain and Lanthus his second mate, Nae spent an awful lot of time getting yelled at by Lan.

"The ways of humans make no sense to sensible people," Faelin muttered as he finally managed to get to his feet.

"Nae isn't human," Glesyn felt obliged to point out.

"No," Faelin agreed, "He is merely insane."

Glesyn considered, but found he really couldn't argue with that. After all, anyone who deliberately tried to get Lan to kill him on a regular basis had to be at least a little bit unbalanced.

Though he snorted, Faelin didn't comment further, merely helped Glesyn to his feet and kept one hand on the wall the rest of the way back just in case the ship decided to take another tumble. He had to let go to open the cabin door, however, and was halfway across the cabin when the ship rocked again. Glesyn tried to catch him, but his own balance hadn't fared so well either and instead he collided with Faelin and they both fell heavily onto the bed, Glesyn landing on Faelin this time.

Oh, this was awkward. Faelin's pretty white-green hair was spread out haphazardly across the bedspread and his leafy eyes were wide as he looked up at Glesyn. He really was beautiful, just as he'd been the first time Glesyn had seen him. This close, the sight of him, the smell of him, created strange feelings in Glesyn. He wanted... He wanted to...

He didn't really realize exactly what he was doing until there were warm, soft lips beneath his, parted ever so slightly in surprise. They were quite nice, and his tongue darted out briefly to taste and they tasted even nicer than they felt, and of course there was the delicious smell of him that was even better up close than it was from a distance and Glesyn wanted to lick every single part of him to taste him all over and-

Abruptly he realized that Faelin had gone perfectly still, barely even breathing, and his eyes were wide as Glesyn pulled his head back. He looked like someone had hit him with something heavy, and that was when it finally occurred to Glesyn that he'd kissed Faelin.

"I, um, I..." Glesyn swallowed, staring down into those wide green eyes, his breath hitching. "I'm... I'm sorry... I..." He scrambled backwards, sliding roughly off the bed and onto his feet with none of his usual grace, backing away until his back met with the cabin wall. Faelin didn't move, merely continued to stare at him.

"I'm sorry!" Glesyn exclaimed, panic rising in his chest as he turned, yanked open the cabin door, and bolted for the top deck as fast as his feet could carry him.

Although a few sailors gave him odd looks, dusk had fallen before anyone actually ventured to speak with him. When he heard the quiet footsteps approaching he expected Naefindan, or maybe Torhle, but the soft voice that spoke his name belonged to neither. Glesyn lifted his head and blinked.

Riven smiled. "May I join you?" he asked.

"Um." Glesyn blinked again, then scooted over enough to make room on the coils of rope he'd been occupying. Riven joined him elegantly, managing a somewhat regal look even as he lounged casually on the thick ropes.

"I don't often see you staying in one place," Riven stated idly. "Usually you're all over the ship."

Glesyn hesitated, looking around furtively before letting out a soft sigh. "I did something stupid."

Riven's lips quirked, then he chuckled. "You might say that dying Lan's hair pink would be a very stupid thing to do, and yet you can find them both in the Captain's cabin testing out new wines we picked up in the last port." He smiled in fond exasperation.

"I..." Glesyn stopped and considered, trying to decide if kissing someone without permission was equivalent to dying Lan's hair pink. He suspected his mother would have said no, but she'd also never met Lanthus. "I may have done something to offend Faelin," he said finally, "but I'm not sure because mother's rules never covered this sort of thing and Faelin's not human or dragon, so the rules I know may not be the ones he knows and... I'm so confused."

When he finished Riven remained silent, his head cocked just slightly to the side as he contemplated. A brief smile ghosted across his lips, then he nodded. "You should go talk to Faelin. Ask him the proper etiquette," he said.

Glesyn choked. "I don't think that's a good idea," he managed.

Riven smiled gently. "It will only make things worse if you don't. Especially if you let it go on too long." He looked thoughtful again. "Maybe if you take him something in apology... a gift." Pale green eyes regarded Glesyn with remarkable intensity. "His people enjoy plants, yes? Perhaps a rare sea flower..."

Glesyn blinked slowly. It wasn't a bad idea, but... "Where am I going to get something like that?" he asked.

Riven's smile suddenly reminded him of Naefindan. "Come with me," he said, standing gracefully and extending a hand out to help Glesyn up. He led them back down into the ship, though not too far. The cabin he shared with Lanthus, perhaps?

Inside, the decor was not as opulent as that in Naefindan's cabin, but it was far from sparse either. Trinkets were mixed up with more practical items, and there were a number of water-filled jars each containing a different mysterious object. They were also all, Glesyn noted wryly, carefully strapped down.

After looking between them for a moment, Riven selected a jar and unstrapped it, then handed it to Glesyn. "That one, I think. It's from the far southern waters and most humans have never even heard of it. I suspect it will be entirely new to Faelin as well."

Glesyn studied the brightly-colored thing in the jar with interest. It sort of resembled a flower, if he squinted, but it mostly looked like nothing he'd ever seen before. Still, Faelin carried seeds around in that pouch of his so who knew?

"You think he'll like it?" Glesyn asked.

"Very likely," Riven replied, taking Glesyn's arm and turning him around toward the door. "Go, make your apologies and your explanations. It will work out."

"How can you be sure?" Glesyn asked, but Riven was already steering him out the door with more strength than Glesyn had expected.

"Go," Riven ordered, then vanished abovedecks.

Glesyn stared after him for a long moment, then down at the jar in his hands, then finally made his way along the hallway until he was standing outside his own door. He shifted awkwardly, trying not to tell himself all the reasons that this was a bad idea, finally knocking and immediately letting himself in before his nerves deserted him. There was a brief moment of panic as it occurred to him that maybe Faelin had gone somewhere else that was promptly chased away by relief at finding Faelin sitting on the edge of the bed, watching him.

Now what? "I, um, that is, I... here!" Glesyn thrust the jar at him, willing his heart to cease racing. What if Faelin didn't like it? What if he was angry? What if he'd committed some horrible offense in the culture of Faelin's people? What if-

"Please shut up," Faelin said, grimacing. "Your thoughts are overwhelming my brain."

"Sorry." Glesyn fidgeted, trying to think quieter (how did one think quietly anyway?) or maybe not think at all but that was impossible because there was so much to think about like the fact that Faelin hadn't moved or really even looked at his present so maybe he didn't like it and Glesyn was still in trouble and why was Faelin staring at him and-

"You know," Faelin muttered, pressing a hand to his head, "It would not be so bad if you would simply settle on one thought rather than so many that they nearly drown me."

One thought? Glesyn blinked. He wasn't sure he could think of just one thing; well, he could think about Faelin. Thinking about Faelin left very little room to think about anything else. There was always so much Faelin to think about - like how he looked, all blindingly white at first and now more green than anything, leafy to match his eyes, and Glesyn could almost swear there were leaf patterns in his long hair that had been so nice when Glesyn had touched it and he wanted to touch it again, free it from the tight braid Faelin preferred. Then there was the way Faelin smelled, fresh and new and wonderful, like a walk in the mountains just before all the flowers began to bloom. And oh, he could never forget the brief glimpse he'd gotten when they'd both woken up naked, all that so-white skin that wasn't at all white anymore and he wanted to know what it felt like now, what it tasted like. He wanted to strip Faelin naked and lick his entire body from head to toes because surely someone who looked and smelled so wonderful had to taste wonderful too. So many things to lick, to taste, then perhaps he could do more than merely taste, like kiss and touch and-

That's... not really an improvement. Faelin sounded out of breath, which was odd because he hadn't spoken aloud, but Glesyn didn't really have time to wonder about it because he then realized that he'd moved closer at some point and Faelin was standing now and his hands were sliding up beneath Glesyn's shirt and he was so very close.

Glesyn held his breath.

Bright green eyes gazed up at him, as mysterious now as they'd ever been, then abruptly Faelin's hand wrapped around the back of Glesyn's neck and yanked his head down, crushing their mouths together and making Glesyn gasp.

The moment he did Faelin's tongue was in his mouth, stroking and twining and caressing, and Glesyn heard himself make a strange sound and then Faelin broke away, panting quietly.

Strip, he ordered.

"Huh?" Glesyn attempted to get his mind to re-engage, failing miserably.

Faelin tugged sharply on his shirt. Strip, he repeated.

Oh.

There being no windows in the cabin, Glesyn had no real way of knowing what time it was when he woke, though he suspected it was morning, if not later. He stretched carefully, wincing a little as an assortment of aches made themselves known, then promptly flushing hotly as he recalled exactly how he'd acquired each and every one of them. It had been quite a night.

And Faelin wasn't mad at him. Not a bit. Though he still said Glesyn was too loud, he seemed to have come to the decision that he could deal with the loudness, especially as it didn't take him very long at all to make Glesyn's brain shut down completely so that there were no coherent thoughts at all to annoy him.

Glesyn didn't mind that. Getting his brain shut down was really quite fun. Especially as Faelin seemed to have something bordering on a mild obsession with Glesyn's ears and scales and liked to lick and pet them anytime either came within his field of view. And Glesyn had discovered, much to his surprise, that his ears were very, very sensitive.

A fact that amused Faelin considerably, as well as one he took blatant advantage of.

Rolling over a little brought the man in question into his field of view, and Glesyn took the opportunity to admire what he saw as he mentally retraced all that he'd gotten the privilege to explore. His hands twitched restlessly and he spent a few futile moments fighting with them before giving into the urge to touch, one running along smooth skin while the other tangled in silken strands of leafy hair, caressing where they pleased.

Faelin mumbled something and cracked open one eye, gazing around without focus until finally managing to fix on Glesyn's face. Glesyn blinked, hands stilling, and Faelin's lips curved into a smirk.

Good morning. He didn't give Glesyn even a chance to reply, grabbing a handful of Glesyn's sea-blue hair and yanking him down sharply to be kissed. It was a slow kiss, lazy and sensual and exploratory, then Faelin let him go and pushed himself into a sitting position. Feel better?

Better? He felt wonderful. Even the lingering soreness couldn't detract from the fact that Faelin wasn't mad at him at all. If anything, he was almost the opposite of mad. Or something like that.

Faelin chuckled quietly. I reserve the right to get annoyed when you get loud, or do something exceptionally stupid.

Glesyn wondered what counted as exceptionally stupid. Faelin snorted. Slightly over half of everything you do. Including going to human marketplaces alone.

"Torhle didn't seem to think there'd be a problem," Glesyn muttered defensively, though his thoughts scattered in all directions as Faelin idly ran fingers up and down Glesyn's thigh.

"Torhle is not a stranger to the world," Faelin said aloud, his hand falling away from Glesyn's leg as he sat up straighter. "We should get up. They will be wondering where we are."

Did they have to? He liked where he was, where he could see and touch and smell Faelin, and maybe taste, if he leaned down just far enough to first lick those tempting lips, then kiss them, and Faelin made a quiet sound before kissing back, his arms wrapping around Glesyn's neck and pulling himself half into Glesyn's lap before the kiss finally broke.

"Yes," Faelin said breathlessly, "We do have to get up." He untwined his arms from around Glesyn's neck and prodded him, stealing a brief, fleeting kiss before sliding out of Glesyn's lap and onto the floor. Glesyn remained where he was for a moment, content to admire as Faelin retrieved his clothing from where it had fallen, sputtering when he abruptly found himself with a face-full of cloth.

"Get up, get dressed, and we shall see what happens from there," Faelin said, sounding amused as Glesyn glared balefully at the shirt that had been thrown at him.

Reluctantly Glesyn tugged the shirt on over his head and slid out of bed to don his pants. He'd much rather stay in bed with Faelin, but he supposed they really shouldn't be lazy. Being guests on the ship, and unpaying ones as well, he and Faelin had to be extra-polite. Which included not lazing around all day, as well as making efforts to be sociable.

"As long as sociable does not include emulating Captain Naefindan in his antics," Faelin interjected dryly.

"I don't have a deathwish," Glesyn said with conviction. "Fish people might be able to get away with such things, but we dragons are a little more sane."

Faelin's lips curled upward. "A little," he agreed.

Glesyn eyed him, trying to figure out if that had been an insult or not, giving up when Faelin grabbed his hand and hauled him out of their cabin. Thinking about Faelin's hands was much more interesting than thinking about possible insults to his race. Especially when Faelin's hands were on his and his thumb was stroking Glesyn's wrist in a way that promised to make his knees give out if Faelin didn't quit doing that before they got to the stairs.

He was almost disappointed when it stopped, though not for long, because then he got the delicious view of Faelin's backside going up the stairs to the main deck and while looking wasn't quite as nice as touching, the fact that he had permission now made all the difference.

They emerged into the mid-morning sun, blinking a bit to let their eyes adjust to the change in light, and the first thing Glesyn saw when he blinked away the dazzle was a smug-looking Naefindan watching them and holding a hand out toward Lanthus, who was standing next to him and looking rather sour. Lan yanked something out of a pocket and slapped it into Nae's hand, then turned and stalked off toward the stern, bellowing at sailors along the way.

Naefindan's smirk couldn't possibly get any wider. "Good morning," he greeted, tucking whatever Lan had given him away into the folds of his skirt.

Faelin stared at him a moment, then looked after Lan, then back to Nae, before shooting Glesyn a brief glance and flushing. Glesyn regarded him in confusion for a moment before he realized what he'd witnessed, then his own cheeks grew hot. He hadn't realized they'd been betting...

"So," Naefindan said cheerfully, sliding up between them and slinging one arm over each of their shoulders, "Everybody's kissed and made up, no more awkwardness to deal with, and there's a whole world out there just waiting to be seen. Maybe we'll head east and see if we can't find a few more dragons, hmm?" He flashed them each a grin before releasing them and spinning around to gesture broadly. "So how's about we set to making you into real sailors, hmm? Welcome to the Azure, best place to be in all the seas!"

Glesyn glanced at Faelin, just in time to catch the brief smile directed his way before Faelin was once more regarding Naefindan in wry amusement. "I believe I can agree with that," he said, his fingers searching out and linking with Glesyn's without even needing to look.

Glesyn flushed, but happily, giving the fingers entwined with his a brief squeeze. Naefindan eyed them both with a grin, then his gaze shifted to Glesyn with a rather predatory expression.

"And someone told me you might be interested in the fine art of wearing a sarong. I should have something long enough to fit you, if you're still interested..."

He got to wear a skirt-thing like the captain? Glesyn perked up, eyes shining. Beside him, Faelin groaned and shook his head.

"Idiots. They are idiots, one and all."

Glesyn laughed and twisted to look at him, picturing carefully in his mind certain advantages he'd been noticing regarding Naefindan's clothing choice. Faelin made a quiet choking sound, his cheeks reddening, then he looked away.

I suppose there might be a few positive benefits, he conceded.