The Dragon Isles: Red Dragon 2
Heh. Sorry about that cliffhanger. Bad Kitty. ^^; Here is the complete story.
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The ocean breeze blew strongly from astern, plunging the ship through the gentle waves and snatching Ruadh's hair to fling all about him in a wild splash of crimson. He leaned out over the railing to watch the water pass by below, grinning widely at the glittering reflection of sunlight upon the sea. It was a truly beautiful day, bright and sunny and absolutely perfect.
Ruadh hadn't spent much time in the southern seas before, but he was immensely enjoying them so far. The heat was quite a pleasant change from the chillier northern waters (though not so chilly he wouldn't gleefully go swimming in them every chance he got) although the crew didn't seem quite as pleased with the temperature change as he was. Silly humans.
Vinnissaen, true to form, hadn't seemed to even notice the heat. He still wore his dashing red outfit complete with boots and hat and no matter how many times Ruadh checked, there was still not a single bead of sweat to be found. Of course, the man had been born in the south and should therefore be used to it, but then again he'd been raised in the north and therefore...
"Dragon."
Wincing at the ice in that familiar voice, Ruadh drew in a deep breath before turning around and smiling widely. "Good morning, Vinni."
Vinnissaen glared darkly and kicked him hard in the shin, drawing a yelp and a wince from Ruadh as he clutched at the injured limb. "Captain Vinnissaen," he corrected in that voice that could freeze fire, golden eyes narrowing further. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Uh." Ruadh looked around surreptitiously. He wasn't In The Way, wasn't standing on something Important, hadn't attempted to kiss Vinnissaen yet today... "Looking at the water?" he tried cautiously.
Wrong Answer. Ruadh winced as Vinnissaen grabbed one of his ears and yanked him down so that they were on eye level. That hurt.
"Why are you running around my ship in a loin cloth?" Vinnissaen asked slowly, molten-gold eyes glittering darkly.
Ruadh blinked. "Because you told me I wasn't allowed to go naked."
The pretty blond captain stared at him for a moment, then made a faint sound of disgust and shoved him backwards hard enough that Ruadh tripped and landed on his butt on the deck. Sometimes he swore Vinnissaen knocked him over so often just so that Ruadh wasn't taller than him all the time.
"You are to be fully dressed at all times while on my ship," Vinnissaen hissed out through clenched teeth. "Understood?"
"What about when I go to bed or take a bath?" Ruadh asked.
Vinnissaen breathed in slowly, then exhaled, then did it again. "You may remove your clothing in the privacy of your own cabin, or while bathing," he allowed, sounding as though he'd very much prefer not to. "You may not remove your clothing when there are others present."
"Not even you?" Ruadh asked, putting on his best I Am Cute face. It didn't work.
Vinnissaen ground his teeth slowly. "Especially not near me." He crossed his arms across his chest and took a step back, glaring rather pointedly.
Sighing, Ruadh got to his feet and began trudging back belowdecks to his cabin. It really wasn't fair. The whole reason he had to wear clothes in the first place was to Fit In so the humans wouldn't suspect what he was. Now that his disguise had been ruined and his true nature revealed to the entire ship, he saw no reason to continue with the charade.
Except that Vinnissaen said to.
Ruadh sighed again. Stupid human customs. Even if Vinnissaen wasn't exactly human. He still thought like one, and that was bad enough. At least the man had permitted him to leave his hair its proper color and not go through the hassle of dying it brown again. He hated the dye. It made his hair heavy and dull and he couldn't go swimming or it would get sticky and wash out. He liked swimming, all dragons did. Now if only he could convince Vinnissaen to join him...
Right. He'd talk Vinnissaen into swimming with him about the same time as he finally got the pretty blond to stop kicking him.
His shin hurt. Enough to be noticeable, apparently, because Temblin, their second mate (the one that had replaced Rannick when Vinnissaen set that slimy excuse for a human on fire and watched him burn into a pile of ash) winced in sympathy as Ruadh passed him.
"Cap'n's got a temper, eh?"
Ruadh dredged up a smile. "Yeah, something like that. I seem to bring out the best in him."
"Ye sure bring out the violent side o' him," Temblin agreed, shaking his head. "Maybe if'n ye didn' try quite so hard ta set him off..."
"I think I set him off just by breathing," Ruadh muttered beneath his breath, wishing he were in his dragon form so he could lash his tail. Why did Vinnissaen have to be so touchy?
Temblin clapped him on the shoulder. "Ye kin always leave, ye know. Nothin keepin ya here."
Ruadh looked back over his shoulder at the slender, crimson-clad figure of the Red Dragon's captain, golden hair tied neatly into a tail and swaying in the wind, each motion sending ripples of sunlight dancing across it. Beautiful, and utterly untouchable.
"Yeah," he agreed hollowly. "Nothing. See you later, Temblin."
Refusing to meet the human's eyes, Ruadh made his way down the ladder and through the narrow passage to his cabin to change.
There was only a limited amount of time that a dragon could mope, even if he had a very good reason do to so. In the end it wasn't really that he'd run out of things to mope about that drove him abovedecks (that list could keep him busy for months) but that boredom and restlessness just didn't mix well with dragons. So before he managed to do something Phenomenally Stupid and damage his pretty captain's ship, he yanked his clothes on and went up to find something to do.
Unfortunately, something to do found him, in the form of Captain Vinnissaen whom he crashed into promptly after ascending from the hold, knocking them both to the deck. Ruadh oofed quietly as he landed on the pretty blond captain, feeling the ornate buttons of Vinnissaen's jacket digging into his ribs. It was rather uncomfortable.
Though not uncomfortable enough that he'd pass up an Opportunity like this one, despite the fact that he knew good and well he'd be paying for this later. When Vinnissaen opened his mouth to deliver what would be a no doubt scathing reprimand, Ruadh quite calmly closed the remaining distance between them and kissed him soundly.
Vinnissaen went very still beneath him, his mouth shifting ever so slightly in that way that never failed to confuse Ruadh because Vinnissaen always started to kiss back, then just... stopped.
And then inflicted damage of some sort on Ruadh. Today it was a knee to the groin. He rolled off of Vinnissaen and curled up into a little ball. That hurt.
"Dragon," Vinnissaen hissed, the setting sun seeming to almost set his golden eyes aflame, "If you do not learn to keep your hands to yourself I-"
He cut off as a shout rang out above them, the lookout sending an unmistakable warning. Vinnissaen turned without another word and vaulted up to the quarter deck, leaving Ruadh to get slowly to his feet while sailors rushed pell-mell everywhere. It took a moment for what he was hearing to get past the pain and into his brain, but when it did he jerked his head up.
Pirates.
Blistering oaths could be heard from the helm as the air around them shifted and stilled. Ruadh looked up to see the sails go slack, snorting in disdain. So the pirates had a weathermage aboard, did they? Well the Red Dragon had something even better.
Limping his way up to the quarterdeck, Ruadh could see Vinnissaen, Kormiel, and Temblin talking furiously and gesturing at something to the stern. He straightening to his full height, wincing as that tugged a bit on certain aching areas, sharp eyes spotting the dot that was a ship gaining on them rapidly. Too far away to make out any real details, but that would change. Was changing. He snorted again.
Ruadh lifted his eyes to the sails above, smiling tightly when they once more began to fill with wind. That stupid weathermage had nothing on him. If he wanted he could make it so the idiot pirates never caught up to them, though at the moment he had something... else... in mind.
It didn't take but a few moments before Vinnissaen's head came up and he jerked around, gaze settling on Ruadh, golden eyes narrowed. They flicked up once, briefly, to the sails, then back down to Ruadh. He snorted.
Smiling as cheerfully as he could and trying not to limp, Ruadh sauntered over to the little trio of men. "So," he asked, ignoring the way Vinnissaen was glaring death at him, "Can I eat them?"
If he hadn't been watching Vinnissaen so closely he'd have missed the slight quirking of his lips, the shimmer in his eyes as he found some small amusement in Ruadh's question. Then it was gone as quickly as it had come, leaving behind only the ire he was well-acquainted with.
"There may be hostages aboard," Vinnissaen pointed out coolly, golden eyes unreadable.
Ruadh shrugged. "Okay, so can I eat the pirates, then?"
They stared at each other for a long moment, during which both Kormiel and Temblin shifted uncomfortably, the former clearing his throat in nervousness, then Vinnissaen shrugged. "Do as you wish."
Though unspoken, Ruadh could nevertheless hear the implied, "You will anyway." He wondered what he'd done to make this man behave in such maddening ways. Vinnissaen refused his advances at every turn, though never right away, and he had let Ruadh back on-board the Red Dragon. Surely if he didn't like Ruadh then he would have simply told him to leave, right?
It was frustrating beyond anything else he'd ever dealt with before. Dragons were very straightforward creatures. These games that humans (and whatever Vinnissaen was) played were far from enjoyable. Really, they did little but make him want to eat people.
Which he was going to do. Right now.
Shrugging out of his jacket and pants, remembering belatedly that Vinnissaen had forbidden him from being naked in public and wincing, (though he could hardly change while still dressed - he'd ruin his clothes) Ruadh took a running leap off the stern of the ship. There was wind all around him, catching him, caressing him, then his wings caught the air and propelled him upward, a glorious crimson dragon just skimming the surface of the sea.
At least, he hoped he looked glorious. And that Vinnissaen was watching. He felt much less awkward and out of his element when he was in his dragon form - possibly because he was much, much bigger. It was hard to feel insignificant when he was longer than the ship he'd been sailing on.
When he was two thirds of the distance to the pirate ship Ruadh veered upward, spreading his wings wide and giving a loud roar, making sure to position himself just right so that the sunlight caught on all of his scales and made them glitter impressively. Inspiring terror in humans could almost be considered an art form, one Ruadh was rather good at to judge by the startled screams he could hear rising up from the pirate ship.
Lazily he glided around the ship in a slow arc, practicing his aim by setting fire to the tops of the masts one at a time. Perfect. He grinned widely, showing off his perfect rows of sharp teeth, then circled back around again before diving, snapping his wings out at the last moment and propelling himself upwards, a sharp crack echoing where the mizzenmast broke off, carried upward in his claws until he released it to fall back down into the ocean and sink beneath the waves.
One down, two to go. The foremast came off just as easily as the mizzenmast had, though the mainmast gave him more trouble. He snarled and raked his claws through it, feeling the thick wood shred and splinter, then it finally cracked and came off to be promptly hurled into the sea.
Now there was enough room to land, though he wasn't going to do that just yet. Landing would mean putting him far too close to the humans and their weaponry, and he wasn't stupid. No, he hovered above the ship with a little aid from his magic, long neck snapping down to pick off the terrified pirates one at a time and crunch them between his teeth.
What was it with Bad Guys and not bathing? Bleh. Maybe he should just set them all on fire after all... but no, Vinnissaen had said there might be Innocent Humans aboard, so he couldn't do that. Though maybe if he roasted them the pirates might taste better...
He set fire to the next one he caught, waiting for the screams to die before munching thoughtfully on the still-burning pirate, grimacing and spitting it out into the water after getting a good taste. That was it, no more eating humans. They tasted Foul.
Maybe he could crunch them without actually having to taste them. He experimented on the next few pirates stupid enough to come within range, discovering if he kept his tongue pressed to the roof of his mouth when he bit down he couldn't quite taste what was in his mouth. It was somewhat inefficient, though, as he kept having to pause to spit them out. Fortunately by that time there were few enough pirates left that he could land on the ship and snatch them up with his claws.
Much faster to just squish them and be done with it.
He ran out of Things To Squish sooner than he'd expected, lifting his head and snorting a little in surprise to find the ship deserted. Well, all of it he could see, anyway. Maybe there were more hiding belowdecks. That was a Happy Thought, though he'd have to roast those, as his dragon form was too large to go inside the ship and he was going to have to switch back to human shape to do so.
Just to be cautious he sniffed carefully at all the doors and hatches, not smelling anything Waiting To Skewer him should he venture inside, so he shifted back to his human shape and set out for the main stairs leading down belowdecks, flexing his claws in anticipation. Leftovers.
Sadly, he only discovered five pirates lying in wait for him, all of which managed to make the same mistake in their attacking of him. Namely, attacking him. Really now. Just because he was smaller didn't mean he didn't still have Sharp Claws and Fire Breath. Though it was kind of amusing watching their eyes widen right before they went up in flames...
He prowled deeper into the ship, letting himself into the main cargo hold and nearly tripping as he got his first look at the pirates' stolen goods. Oh yesssss. This was so worth the nasty taste lingering in the back of his mouth. Look at all the pretty shiny sparkly-
There was a sound. Ruadh's head snapped around, trying to focus on where it had come from. Stupid dragon, letting himself get distracted by the Pretty Things. Check for Nasty-Tasting Pirates first, then jack off over the treasures.
Oh, there was a nice thought. Vinnissaen, with his prettier-than-gold hair spread out across all the Sparkly Objects, naked and flushed and panting and-
Ruadh tripped, flailing wildly before his claws sunk into a large wooden support that was probably what used to be the main mast before Ruadh had snapped it off, clinging to it for a moment before gingerly releasing it and straightening. Right. No more Distracting Thoughts. They led all too frequently to Embarrassing Moments. Fortunately no one was around to see him act like an Idiot Human. Well, no one that wouldn't shortly be Roasted.
The quiet sound came again and Ruadh peered around a few large barrels to discover its source, fully prepared to roast himself another pirate, only to stop and blink at the sight before him. Huh. Slowly he closed his eyes and turned around, taking in the sight of all the pretty sparkly things behind him, then turned slowly back around and looked again. Nope, hadn't changed.
While he was staring at it, it whimpered, and probably would have tried to scoot further away from him if it wasn't already plastered up against the inner hull. And, he noted in some irritation, chained to a bulkhead. Well, that wouldn't do.
He stepped over next to the female (at least, he was fairly certain those were female clothes, though Lord Aeynanyi's human had explained to him the way different humans in different areas all wore different things and so there was no real way to know for certain without taking the clothing off and he didn't think the human would like it very much if he stripped it to check its gender) and contemplated the heavy manacles holding it to the wall. Thick, heavy iron. Too thick, he noted in annoyance, for him to break. Which left the other method. Though how to do that without harming the human...
Ah. Of course. Vinnissaen was much better than he was at fine control when it came to flames, so all Ruadh had to do was detach the human from the ship and get it to the Red Dragon. Problem Solved.
Grinning happily, though maybe a bit too widely if the way the human whimpered and held itself as far away from him as possible was any indication, Ruadh leaned close to the thick chains and gently blew on them. It took a little longer than usual to melt through them, but then he was trying to be careful so he didn't set the whole ship on fire. That would be Bad. Then he'd lose all the pretty treasure.
When he finished he surveyed his handiwork with pride. Very neatly done, leaving only the cuffs at wrist and ankle that Vinnissaen could get off later. The human was staring at him with wide, pale eyes, her cheeks tinted slightly pink. That was an odd expression. Huh. Oh well. He reached out and snagged one of the human's wrists, picking her up and tossing her over one shoulder, wincing when she screamed in his ear.
"Oi, quit that. I'm not going to eat you or anything," Ruadh said, not certain she could hear him over the sound of her own screaming. "I'm just gonna take you to someone who can get the rest of that stuff off, okay?"
She didn't seem very convinced, if the trembling and quiet whimpering were anything to go by. He sighed. Stupid humans.
At least the human stayed quiet on the trip back up to the top deck, where he was pleased to see that the Red Dragon had come up alongside the pirate ship while he'd been belowdecks. Ruadh waved cheerfully, waiting as Vinnissaen and several of his men swung over to meet him.
Vinnissaen was scowling at him, but then Vinnissaen was always scowling at him. Probably because he hadn't put his clothes back on yet. But his clothes were on the Red Dragon, and he absolutely refused to wear pirate clothes. They probably smelled as nasty as the pirates tasted.
"Hello Vinni...ssaen," he corrected himself just in time. "There's lots of pretty sparklies down below, and I found this too." Ruadh set the still-shivering human down on its feet, frowning as it didn't seem too sturdy on its own feet. Maybe he needed to pick it back up again before it fell over. "I melted the chains but the wrist ones are too close to skin so I thought you could fix those..." He trailed off, watching as Vinnissaen's face went completely blank as he looked at the human Ruadh had rescued. That was strange.
"Uh, Vinni?" he tried, disturbed when he didn't even get snapped at for the name-butchering. That was Very Strange. He almost jumped when Vinnissaen finally moved, reaching out to very gently take one of the female's hands and slide his thumbs beneath the heavy iron, the manacle falling off shortly thereafter. Vinnissaen repeated the process on the other three restraints, then politely offered his hand to the female, bowing low.
Okay, that was Very Very Strange. Vinnissaen was being nice. Maybe the strange human female had done something to him...
He reached out and touched Vinnissaen's arm, hurt when Vinnissaen shrugged it off and ignored him in favor of helping the female human back to the Red Dragon. Ruadh watched in silence as they made their way across, then bit his lip as Vinnissaen escorted her to his personal cabin.
Sailors moved around him, working to secure the cargo, occasionally asking questions, but he didn't notice any of it. His gaze was still fixed on that closed door and the painful tightness in his chest. It shouldn't hurt. There had to be some reason that Vinnissaen, who was cold and icy to everyone, would be almost kind to the dirty female he'd found. There was no reason to get upset, none at all.
With a heavy heart he returned to the Red Dragon, starting toward the quarterdeck and his discarded clothes, then stopping and changing his path to take him past Vinnissaen's cabin door. He'd just ask, real quick. It would be nothing major and everything would be okay again.
The door opened only moments after he knocked, revealing a particularly icy Vinnissaen. The pretty gold eyes that Ruadh was so fond of narrowed, then he abruptly found himself shoved back and the door slammed shut.
Though he hadn't actually fallen down this time, it felt like he had. Ruadh stared at the door for what seemed like an eternity, then slowly turned away. Most of the sailors on deck swiftly turned back to what they were doing, moving at an accelerated pace, all of them carefully avoiding him.
Abruptly he decided he'd had enough. He stalked to the edge of the ship and vaulted over the railing, making the change in the same instant and sweeping his wings downward, hearing the ship rock behind him from the unexpected pressure. Then he was off, away, high in the sky where he belonged. Soaring free. He'd fly as fast and as hard as he could, away from everything that kept him chained, away from the beautiful treasure that hated him.
He'd had enough. He was going home.
There were certain Human Things that Ruadh had come to appreciate. Alcohol, for instance. A nice sweet white wine went lovely with fish, though he was fond of the reds because they went better with seal, and to drown his sorrows until he couldn't remember why he was upset, there was always brandy. Apricot was good. Lots of it.
Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be working. While he'd lost the ability to walk in a straight line several glasses ago, his brain hadn't managed to get to the point where he didn't see hair like liquid gold every time he closed his eyes. He gazed mournfully into his empty snifter, then looked around to see where the innkeeper had gone.
Aw, Winds.
The humans parted in awe before a lithe, elegant figure as it made its way through the crowded taproom, coming to stand at Ruadh's table. Beautiful, graceful, with long silver hair and claws to match.
"May I sit with you?" Lord Aeynanyi Sirlennu asked gently.
Sighing deeply, Ruadh shoved his empty glass away and made to stand, only to be pushed firmly back down into his chair. When the room stopped spinning, Lord Aeynanyi was seated across from him, his face filled with concern. "I think you should not be trying to be formal right now, Ruadh," he chided gently. "You have enough alcohol in you that I burn to Heal it from your system, though I will not for now... I think perhaps there is a reason you are behaving thus. Will you tell it to me?"
Ruadh blinked slowly, seeing the gleaming silver hair and eyes and wishing they were gold. He bit his lip, grasping blindly for his glass until he remembered it was empty.
"I..." He swallowed. "It's... There's... someone." When Lord Aeynanyi didn't speak, merely watched him and waited, Ruadh carefully ordered his thoughts and tried again. "He was trapped by a spell. I thought he was human, but then he wasn't. I thought he'd be nicer when he was free, and he did let me back on his ship, but he still hates me. But if he hates me, why'd he let me come back on the Red Dragon after he told me to leave?"
Lord Aeynanyi passed him a glass which he promptly downed, grimacing when it turned out to be merely water. The look he got forestalled any protests he might have made, however, and he must have been quite inebriated indeed to have even considered arguing with the Wind Lord.
"One thing at a time, Ruadh," Lord Aeynanyi murmured, passing him another glass of water. "The Red Dragon... is a ship?" At Ruadh's nod, he continued. "And this person commands it?"
"Captain," Ruadh corrected, blinking slowly to make things stop spinning. "Captain Vinnissaen." He made a face. "Hates when I call him Vinni."
Lord Aeynanyi arched a brow, but apparently decided to let that one go. "And this Captain Vinnissaen of yours is not human...?"
Ruadh sat up a bit, frowning in thought. "Really pretty. Gold hair, gold eyes. Better than treasure. Dunno what he is... asked, but he wouldn't say." He held up a finger on either side of his head. "Fuzzy ears. And a tail. Pretty tail. Wanted to pet it, but then it went away..." That had been a disappointment. He wanted so badly to find out if the tail was as soft as the hair. Of course, he'd probably get kicked even harder for that...
"Tail?" Lord Aeynanyi repeated, both brows shooting up. "A Firechild? You met one of the fire children?"
Ruadh blinked. "Well, he burns stuff... and his hands and feet kinda looked like they were on fire when he had the tail..." He blinked curiously. "What's a fire child?"
Lord Aeynanyi smiled. "An old legend from the southern isles. Listed in some of the ancient archives, but no one from the east has seen one in so long that even the dragons had begun to believe them nothing more than fantasy, and our memories are far longer than that of humans. They're said to be the children of the Fire Lord, and bear a strong resemblance to foxes." He paused, a faint line creasing his brow. "There is so little still recorded... I think I remember reading something about a very strict society whose rules made little sense to outsiders... particularly we dragons, who prefer a simpler life."
"Nothing about Vinni is simple," Ruadh muttered, reaching for his glass again and nearly choking on the water he wasn't expecting. Stupid water.
"If your friend is truly a fire child," Lord Aeynanyi pointed out softly, "He may be acting entirely in keeping with the mannerisms of his people. Perhaps he sees nothing wrong in his actions, for it is all he knows." His smile quirked. "Much in the way that the humans of Miro's land still get upset when Deyllgo eats someone or forgets his pants."
Ruadh looked up sharply, grimacing when that made the world spin. "Still? I thought you'd finally gotten him trained..."
Lord Aeynanyi laughed. "I think I have given up. It is not important, in the end. We will be able to return to our own ways once we return to the Dragon Isles, and there it will not matter what Deyllgo does or does not wear, except as it concerns his small human."
Hiding a snicker, because you never knew who might be listening and you just did not laugh at Deyllgo even if you were the biggest, strongest, and fastest red dragon alive, Ruadh sat up slowly. "So, maybe Vinni's just acting weird because he's a fire fox child thing? Is he always gonna act weird? I'm kind of getting tired of being kicked..." He made a face.
Lord Aeynanyi chuckled quietly. "What happens to Deyllgo when his small human asks him to do something?"
Ruadh blinked. "He does it...?" When Lord Aeynanyi only smiled at him, he thought that back over for a moment before standing up swiftly enough to knock over his chair. "Oh! You think... then... Oh!" He turned, turned back, received a nod of permission and a soft laugh from the Wind Lord, then turned again and went dashing out of the inn, scattering startled humans along the way.
Outside, he shifted back into his dragon form and launched himself into the sky, not even hearing the cries of dismay as his wingbeats blew things every which way. He had a ship to find, and a snarly, irritable, beautiful fire captain to tame. It wouldn't be immediate, or even swift. Vinnissaen was grouchy enough to give even Deyllgo lessons. But he would do it, however long it took.
Vinnissaen was a Treasure. Ruadh's treasure. He just had to convince a certain snappish blond of that fact.
The biggest problem, Ruadh discovered, with drinking large amounts of alcohol all at once was it made flying a little bit tricky. First he spent far longer than he really thought was necessary trying to remember which way was South, then he managed to fall asleep and crash into the ocean, twice, and then once he finally made it back to the place where he'd left the ship... it wasn't there.
Huffing irritably, wishing the ringing in his head would go away, Ruadh slowly circled the spot where the Red Dragon had been, struggling past the haze in his mind to recall what direction they'd been headed before the whole Pirate Incident had occurred. South-east, he was fairly certain.
Rising back up high into the sky, he caught one of the fast, powerful air streams that occurred at that level and subtly strengthened it with his own magic, streaking through the atmosphere at speeds no human would ever experience. Any other day he'd be giddy with the delight such freedom always brought, but today he simply flew harder, faster, with a very singular Purpose.
Find his Treasure.
Claim his Treasure.
And if his Treasure objected, well, kisses were good at shutting him up, at least temporarily. Until Ruadh got kicked, anyway.
The Red Dragon had made good time. That, or Ruadh had been drunk longer than he remembered, which was equally possible. Either way, he was nearing the last few groupings of islands beyond which lay nothing but the southern sea before he finally spotted the familiar deep red sails of the Red Dragon. It appeared to be docked at a large island that was liberally dotted with structures, though the pounding in his head was prohibiting him from remembering which island, precisely, this one was.
It didn't really matter. Ruadh had decided he didn't care where he was, as long as he had his pretty gold Treasure. Regardless of what his Treasure thought about it.
He banked sharply, spiraling down and backwinging only once before changing shapes, landing roughly on the deck amidst wide-eyed sailors. He ignored all of them in favor of looking for a particular figure of bright red and gold, frowning when he didn't immediately find what he was after. Kormiel was at the helm, however, and that would have to do.
Ruadh vaulted up to join him on the quarterdeck, cutting him off before he had a chance to speak. "Where is he?"
Kormiel smiled wanly and gestured at the shore. "Took that lady you found ashore. Somehow he managed to get an audience with the king or emperor or whatever it is they call them down here. Think he's still there."
Had he been slightly less hung over, Ruadh might not have felt the irrational alarm that prompted him to launch himself back into the air and out over the island. In his still-a-tad-inebriated state, however, Kings meant Powerful Humans, and Powerful Humans tended to want More Power, and Vinnissaen had already been Bound once by idiots wanting such things. Therefore, Ruadh was just going to have to rescue him. Again.
Finding the royal palace wasn't hard. Humans were funny about their Important Buildings all having to be bigger and grander and more impressive than anyone else's Important Buildings. When he'd once asked a sailor about it, the man had snickered and told him they were Compensating, though Ruadh still hadn't figured out what that meant.
Still, whatever the reasons, it made figuring out where Vinnissaen had gone rather easy. He landed in a wide courtyard, sending humans fleeing in all directions, then shifted back to human so he could fit inside.
The inside was rather pleasant. It was different than the one belonging to Lord Aeynanyi's human, though he didn't have the time to figure out how, exactly. A few brave humans tried to stop him, only to flee again when he growled and bared his claws or, in one or two cases, blew out a little breath of flame in warning. He was rather proud of himself for not having to eat anyone yet; Vinnissaen wouldn't be able to yell at him.
Well, maybe he would. Ruadh realized belatedly that he hadn't remembered to pick up his clothes when he'd found the ship. So maybe Vinnissaen would yell at him after all. Probably. He seemed to have more of an issue with Ruadh's clothing than with Ruadh eating people.
The Big Important Meeting Room was not quite in the same place it was back in Lord Aeynanyi's human's castle, but it was close. The guards at the door put up more of a fight than any of the others had so far, though they didn't really last very long after he threw them at a wall. The door slowed him down a bit longer as it didn't quite seem to want to open, so he had to spend a few moments melting the hinges before knocking the doors down.
He strode past the wreckage he'd made of the door, immensely pleased to locate Vinnissaen's unmistakable spot of color right away, though somewhat less pleased when he noticed that his pretty captain was kneeling on the floor in front of a group of Most Likely Important Persons who-
Ruadh blinked, realizing belatedly that everyone in the room (minus himself, that is) all had fuzzy ears and tails and hands and feet that seemed to be on fire. Including Vinnissaen.
"Ruadh." That was Vinnissaen, wearing an expression Ruadh couldn't remember ever seeing before, and thus couldn't really identify. "What are you doing here?" He still hadn't gotten up off his knees.
Ruadh considered. "I came to see if you needed rescuing," he decided after a moment.
Vinnissaen grimaced and started to respond, only to be cut off by the Important Looking Man sitting on the platform in front of him. "Vinnissaen, what is this creature you have brought before us?"
Ruadh scowled. "He didn't bring me, I brought myself," he corrected, trying to look as Big and Intimidating as he could when in his human shape. "What are you doing to him?"
The Important Looking Man stared coldly at him. Ruadh stared back, doing his best Deyllgo-contemplating-dinner impression. After a moment the Important Man's lips tightened. "It is of no concern to outsiders."
"It is if you're hurting him," Ruadh growled, wishing he had a tail to lash. He didn't like these people. Maybe he was going to have to eat them. Hopefully they didn't taste as bad as pirates did.
"Ruadh," Vinnissaen's voice cut in, drawing his attention. "Stop. This isn't your place, and you don't have to defend me against my own people, idiot." He snorted.
"Silence, dishonored one," the Important Man snapped. "Do not speak unless you are addressed."
Ruadh snarled, stalking toward the Important Man and considering the best option for ensuring that nasty mouth was silenced. He got only two steps before he was abruptly engulfed in flames that were quite similar to the ones Vinnissaen frequently and futilely used on him. He snorted and resumed his stalk, slightly amused to note the varying expressions of panic crossing the Stupid People's faces when they realized their fire wasn't burning him. If anything, it tickled.
There were weapons drawn, now, though of course he had his claws they still had the longer reach. Maybe if he shifted... the room was plenty big enough for it...
He'd just about decided to change forms and start eating people when a high, female voice rang out over the room.
"Father."
Attention shifted away from Ruadh to the female not-human sitting just to the left of the Important Man. She looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place... Oh, hey, it was the female he'd found on the pirate ship, only now she had fuzzy ears and a tail too. He was starting to feel rather left out. Everyone was fuzzy except for him.
"Father, this is the man who rescued me from the horrible pirates," the female fuzzy thing said, very carefully not-quite-looking at Ruadh, her cheeks tinged faintly pink. "He is very ill-mannered and uncouth, but I do owe him my life."
All around them, everyone fell silent. This was really getting Very Annoying. Apparently something Important had been said, to judge from the stark silence, but it wasn't anything that Ruadh could discern through the growing throbbing in his head.
After a long minute's pause, during which Ruadh swore he could actually hear his head pounding, the Important Man finally spoke again.
"It seems, sir, that we Owe you a great debt," he said reluctantly. "Name your boon."
"Name my what?" Ruadh scowled. Stupid humans. Or not-humans. Whatever. Why did all creatures but dragons have to be so confusing?
"Ruadh," Vinnissaen said quietly, sounding rather resigned, "Come here."
"You have not been given permission to speak, dishonored one," the Important Man said irritably.
Ruadh snapped his teeth at him. "He wasn't talking to you." Reaching Vinnissaen, he dropped down into a crouch and waited.
"Before you manage to piss off the entire Empire of Flame," Vinnissaen said dryly, "Let me explain a few things. They're not hurting me. All they're doing is giving me a formal reprimand for being stupid enough to be Bound by a human. You-"
Ruadh cut him off. "Reprimand? They're yelling at you?"
Vinnissaen shook his head. "It's more complicated than that. I lost my honor by allowing myself to be captured, and I will have to prove myself again to regain it. I'll probably spend a few years as a servant to one of the minor lords before I'm-"
"What!" Ruadh growled low and made to rise so he could go rip out a certain throat, only to be stopped by a hand grabbing his arm tight.
"Settle down!" Vinnissaen snapped. "Quit behaving like an animal. You're only going to lower their opinion of you even further if you continue to act like an idiot. Now listen to me. The woman you rescued from the pirates is the Emperor's daughter. The Princess. Her life is valuable, and you saved it. Therefore, they owe you a considerable debt."
"But I don't want-"
Vinnissaen cut him off by covering Ruadh's mouth with his hand. "I know, your people don't do such things, but mine do. The debt must be repaid, or they will lose honor. Just pick what you want and go. Quit worrying about me, stupid lizard."
Ruadh scowled and started to argue that he wasn't stupid or a lizard (Really, how could anyone compare a magnificent dragon to an insignificant lizard?) when something occurred to him. He ran back over what Vinnissaen had said in his mind, feeling the need to repeat it just to be sure. "They lose honor until the debt-thing is paid?"
Vinnissaen nodded, cautiously, gold eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Ruadh-"
Grinning, Ruadh ignored him and stood once more, turning to face the Important Man and the Princess that he was starting to be rather fond of given that she'd just solved his problem for him. "Okay then, I'll trade you," he said cheerfully, not even the ache in his head enough to dim his spirits. "You give Vinni back his honor, and you can have yours back!"
They all stared at him. Behind him, he could hear Vinnissaen make an odd sound that seemed like a strange cross between a moan and a whimper. Then the back of his leg hurt. Vinni had probably punched him again.
"You wish... to transfer Vinnissaen's honor-debt to yourself?" the Important Man said slowly, his brow furrowed.
"Uh." Ruadh blinked. That wasn't what he'd said. Really, how stupid were these people? "I want you to lay off Vinni," he said carefully, making sure to speak slowly so they could understand him. "You do that favor for me, then that takes care of the debt-repaying thing, okay? We're all even."
"We are not even," Vinnissaen snapped, standing finally and coming up around him to glare. "Don't you understand a thing I've told you? A life debt is worth far more than an honor debt. I refuse to owe you my freedom twice, you idiot lizard!"
Ruadh blinked down at him curiously. While they were staring, one in fury, one in mild bewilderment, a strong voice announced, "Very well. I relinquish my claim over this child to you, red creature. My debt is paid."
Vinnissaen nearly shook with fury, his gold eyes flashing up at Ruadh. The dragon grinned and offered cheekily, "You could pay me back with kisses, you know."
It was the wrong thing to say, and he knew it, but he said it anyway. So he wasn't at all surprised to find himself doubled over in pain and watching his pretty gold captain stalk furiously out of the room. Why was it that his mouth just could never seem to obey him when Vinnissaen was around? It wasn't fair.
Carefully, trying not to limp too badly, Ruadh made his way out of the palace and back to the ship where, as expected, Vinnissaen was nowhere to be found. He sighed. Looked like they were right back where they started. He wondered if he had any wine left.
Ruadh wasn't sure what woke him, nor had he any clue what time it was, though he rather suspected it was late. He'd gone to his cabin to see about more wine and instead wound up passing out after having been up for several days straight without sleep. So, logically, given that he'd been that tired, he should have slept far longer than this.
Except something had woken him.
Peering into the gloom, Ruadh could just barely make out an odd figure that he was fairly certain wasn't supposed to be there. As he stared at it the figure brightened, illuminated by a flickering glow that originated from its hands and feet. Ruadh blinked.
"Vinni?"
The pretty blond captain was staring down at him with a strange expression, a cross between frustration and resignation. He wasn't wearing his hat or his jacket, though he did have on his undershirt and pants, and it was probably a good thing he wasn't wearing the hat because his ears and tail were showing and Ruadh couldn't help but think that it would be terribly uncomfortable to wear a hat over those ears. Though he couldn't say for sure, not actually having fuzzy ears.
And Vinnissaen still hadn't moved even during that mental digression. Ruadh started to sit up, only to find that he couldn't. A few moment's testing proved that he appeared to have been tied to his bed. He blinked. "Um, Vinni?"
Vinnissaen took a step closer, then another, until he was standing right next to Ruadh's bed. He stared at Ruadh for another long moment, then slowly his lips parted.
"You are without a doubt the most annoying, vexing, aggravating man I have ever met," Vinnissaen said calmly, his golden eyes never leaving Ruadh's face. "I have no doubt that you're going to drive me insane, if you haven't already."
"Um," Ruadh started to say, only to be cut off by one of Vinnissaen's hands being placed over his mouth.
"I tried to push you away, tried to wait until things were even between us. Instead, you just pushed harder, and now I owe you twice." A flicker of a grimace passed over his face, just for an instant, then the strange expression returned. "I cannot pay that debt. I can only come to you as an inferior, never as your equal, but I can't fucking wait anymore." He knelt on the edge of Ruadh's bed, leaning over him, long hair tumbling about them in a fall of glittering, shining gold. "You're driving me insane," he whispered into the silence, lowering his mouth to Ruadh's.
It was what all the other kisses should have been, only better, because Vinnissaen wasn't protesting, or kicking him, or trying to burn him. Vinnissaen was kissing him as though he thought he'd never get another kiss again and wanted to make a kiss that would never be forgotten. It was hot and hard, and Ruadh could feel the faint prick of sharp teeth as their tongues fought for supremacy. This, this was what he'd wanted. What he'd waited so long, so patiently to have.
Vinnissaen was straddling him now, his hands splayed over Ruadh's bare chest for balance as he attempted to suck Ruadh's tongue right out of his mouth. Ruadh attempted to bring his hands up around Vinnissaen's waist, growling when he remembered they were tied down, and earning a sharp nip to his lip from Vinnissaen in response to the growl.
Oh no. He was not going to just lie there and do nothing, regardless of what his pretty, exasperating fox thought. Bracing himself, Ruadh strained until he felt the ropes snap, immediately wrapping his arms around Vinnissaen's waist and yanking the man down flush against him. That was much better.
Not that Vinnissaen agreed. Vinnissaen never agreed. He snarled and bit Ruadh before pushing himself up and grabbing Ruadh's arms, surprising the dragon when he actually managed to yank them free and pin them over Ruadh's head.
"Why do you have to be so difficult?" Vinnissaen hissed, his tail lashing in annoyance.
"Why do you have to be so grumpy?" Ruadh shot back, wriggling a bit to test his new restraints, getting distracted by the expression that flitted across Vinnissaen's face in response to the wiggling. Oh, that was Nice. Let's do it again.
Vinnissaen shuddered, golden eyes slipping closed, giving Ruadh exactly the opportunity he needed to lunge up and attempt to reverse their positions, only remembering after he'd done it that his feet were still tied down. He yelped, flailing as his momentum carried him half off his bunk, kept from a complete fall by the restraints around his ankles. Somewhere above him, Vinnissaen snorted.
"Do all dragons have a problem with using their brains," he asked calmly, "Or is it just you?"
Before Ruadh got a chance to respond there was a tickling of fire about his feet and the ropes quite abruptly let go, landing him in a heap on the floor. He twisted over and glared up at Vinnissaen, who was sitting on his bed and smirking.
"I think you just get some twisted pleasure out of tormenting me," Ruadh muttered, picking himself up off the floor.
"I'm not the one who prefers to walk around naked," Vinnissaen snapped. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to do my job when you do that?"
Ruadh blinked slowly. "It's normal for dragons..."
"Well it's not normal for anyone else," Vinnissaen snarled, grabbing a handful of Ruadh's hair and yanking him down, crushing their mouths together. When he finally let go a long moment later he shoved Ruadh backwards until the dragon's back hit the wall, then slid off the bunk and stalked toward him until they were barely a breath apart.
"I do not like to share," he hissed, grabbing Ruadh's hair again and using it to drag the dragon's head down until their breath mingled. "I do not like to have others staring at what is mine. You will keep your damned clothes on when there are people who can see you."
A slow grin spread across Ruadh's face. "Even you?"
Vinnissaen snarled again and bit him, hard, before claiming his mouth for another bruising kiss.
---
The ocean breeze blew strongly from astern, plunging the ship through the gentle waves and snatching Ruadh's hair to fling all about him in a wild splash of crimson. He leaned out over the railing to watch the water pass by below, grinning widely at the glittering reflection of sunlight upon the sea. It was a truly beautiful day, bright and sunny and absolutely perfect.
Ruadh hadn't spent much time in the southern seas before, but he was immensely enjoying them so far. The heat was quite a pleasant change from the chillier northern waters (though not so chilly he wouldn't gleefully go swimming in them every chance he got) although the crew didn't seem quite as pleased with the temperature change as he was. Silly humans.
Vinnissaen, true to form, hadn't seemed to even notice the heat. He still wore his dashing red outfit complete with boots and hat and no matter how many times Ruadh checked, there was still not a single bead of sweat to be found. Of course, the man had been born in the south and should therefore be used to it, but then again he'd been raised in the north and therefore...
"Dragon."
Wincing at the ice in that familiar voice, Ruadh drew in a deep breath before turning around and smiling widely. "Good morning, Vinni."
Vinnissaen glared darkly and kicked him hard in the shin, drawing a yelp and a wince from Ruadh as he clutched at the injured limb. "Captain Vinnissaen," he corrected in that voice that could freeze fire, golden eyes narrowing further. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Uh." Ruadh looked around surreptitiously. He wasn't In The Way, wasn't standing on something Important, hadn't attempted to kiss Vinnissaen yet today... "Looking at the water?" he tried cautiously.
Wrong Answer. Ruadh winced as Vinnissaen grabbed one of his ears and yanked him down so that they were on eye level. That hurt.
"Why are you running around my ship in a loin cloth?" Vinnissaen asked slowly, molten-gold eyes glittering darkly.
Ruadh blinked. "Because you told me I wasn't allowed to go naked."
The pretty blond captain stared at him for a moment, then made a faint sound of disgust and shoved him backwards hard enough that Ruadh tripped and landed on his butt on the deck. Sometimes he swore Vinnissaen knocked him over so often just so that Ruadh wasn't taller than him all the time.
"You are to be fully dressed at all times while on my ship," Vinnissaen hissed out through clenched teeth. "Understood?"
"What about when I go to bed or take a bath?" Ruadh asked.
Vinnissaen breathed in slowly, then exhaled, then did it again. "You may remove your clothing in the privacy of your own cabin, or while bathing," he allowed, sounding as though he'd very much prefer not to. "You may not remove your clothing when there are others present."
"Not even you?" Ruadh asked, putting on his best I Am Cute face. It didn't work.
Vinnissaen ground his teeth slowly. "Especially not near me." He crossed his arms across his chest and took a step back, glaring rather pointedly.
Sighing, Ruadh got to his feet and began trudging back belowdecks to his cabin. It really wasn't fair. The whole reason he had to wear clothes in the first place was to Fit In so the humans wouldn't suspect what he was. Now that his disguise had been ruined and his true nature revealed to the entire ship, he saw no reason to continue with the charade.
Except that Vinnissaen said to.
Ruadh sighed again. Stupid human customs. Even if Vinnissaen wasn't exactly human. He still thought like one, and that was bad enough. At least the man had permitted him to leave his hair its proper color and not go through the hassle of dying it brown again. He hated the dye. It made his hair heavy and dull and he couldn't go swimming or it would get sticky and wash out. He liked swimming, all dragons did. Now if only he could convince Vinnissaen to join him...
Right. He'd talk Vinnissaen into swimming with him about the same time as he finally got the pretty blond to stop kicking him.
His shin hurt. Enough to be noticeable, apparently, because Temblin, their second mate (the one that had replaced Rannick when Vinnissaen set that slimy excuse for a human on fire and watched him burn into a pile of ash) winced in sympathy as Ruadh passed him.
"Cap'n's got a temper, eh?"
Ruadh dredged up a smile. "Yeah, something like that. I seem to bring out the best in him."
"Ye sure bring out the violent side o' him," Temblin agreed, shaking his head. "Maybe if'n ye didn' try quite so hard ta set him off..."
"I think I set him off just by breathing," Ruadh muttered beneath his breath, wishing he were in his dragon form so he could lash his tail. Why did Vinnissaen have to be so touchy?
Temblin clapped him on the shoulder. "Ye kin always leave, ye know. Nothin keepin ya here."
Ruadh looked back over his shoulder at the slender, crimson-clad figure of the Red Dragon's captain, golden hair tied neatly into a tail and swaying in the wind, each motion sending ripples of sunlight dancing across it. Beautiful, and utterly untouchable.
"Yeah," he agreed hollowly. "Nothing. See you later, Temblin."
Refusing to meet the human's eyes, Ruadh made his way down the ladder and through the narrow passage to his cabin to change.
There was only a limited amount of time that a dragon could mope, even if he had a very good reason do to so. In the end it wasn't really that he'd run out of things to mope about that drove him abovedecks (that list could keep him busy for months) but that boredom and restlessness just didn't mix well with dragons. So before he managed to do something Phenomenally Stupid and damage his pretty captain's ship, he yanked his clothes on and went up to find something to do.
Unfortunately, something to do found him, in the form of Captain Vinnissaen whom he crashed into promptly after ascending from the hold, knocking them both to the deck. Ruadh oofed quietly as he landed on the pretty blond captain, feeling the ornate buttons of Vinnissaen's jacket digging into his ribs. It was rather uncomfortable.
Though not uncomfortable enough that he'd pass up an Opportunity like this one, despite the fact that he knew good and well he'd be paying for this later. When Vinnissaen opened his mouth to deliver what would be a no doubt scathing reprimand, Ruadh quite calmly closed the remaining distance between them and kissed him soundly.
Vinnissaen went very still beneath him, his mouth shifting ever so slightly in that way that never failed to confuse Ruadh because Vinnissaen always started to kiss back, then just... stopped.
And then inflicted damage of some sort on Ruadh. Today it was a knee to the groin. He rolled off of Vinnissaen and curled up into a little ball. That hurt.
"Dragon," Vinnissaen hissed, the setting sun seeming to almost set his golden eyes aflame, "If you do not learn to keep your hands to yourself I-"
He cut off as a shout rang out above them, the lookout sending an unmistakable warning. Vinnissaen turned without another word and vaulted up to the quarter deck, leaving Ruadh to get slowly to his feet while sailors rushed pell-mell everywhere. It took a moment for what he was hearing to get past the pain and into his brain, but when it did he jerked his head up.
Pirates.
Blistering oaths could be heard from the helm as the air around them shifted and stilled. Ruadh looked up to see the sails go slack, snorting in disdain. So the pirates had a weathermage aboard, did they? Well the Red Dragon had something even better.
Limping his way up to the quarterdeck, Ruadh could see Vinnissaen, Kormiel, and Temblin talking furiously and gesturing at something to the stern. He straightening to his full height, wincing as that tugged a bit on certain aching areas, sharp eyes spotting the dot that was a ship gaining on them rapidly. Too far away to make out any real details, but that would change. Was changing. He snorted again.
Ruadh lifted his eyes to the sails above, smiling tightly when they once more began to fill with wind. That stupid weathermage had nothing on him. If he wanted he could make it so the idiot pirates never caught up to them, though at the moment he had something... else... in mind.
It didn't take but a few moments before Vinnissaen's head came up and he jerked around, gaze settling on Ruadh, golden eyes narrowed. They flicked up once, briefly, to the sails, then back down to Ruadh. He snorted.
Smiling as cheerfully as he could and trying not to limp, Ruadh sauntered over to the little trio of men. "So," he asked, ignoring the way Vinnissaen was glaring death at him, "Can I eat them?"
If he hadn't been watching Vinnissaen so closely he'd have missed the slight quirking of his lips, the shimmer in his eyes as he found some small amusement in Ruadh's question. Then it was gone as quickly as it had come, leaving behind only the ire he was well-acquainted with.
"There may be hostages aboard," Vinnissaen pointed out coolly, golden eyes unreadable.
Ruadh shrugged. "Okay, so can I eat the pirates, then?"
They stared at each other for a long moment, during which both Kormiel and Temblin shifted uncomfortably, the former clearing his throat in nervousness, then Vinnissaen shrugged. "Do as you wish."
Though unspoken, Ruadh could nevertheless hear the implied, "You will anyway." He wondered what he'd done to make this man behave in such maddening ways. Vinnissaen refused his advances at every turn, though never right away, and he had let Ruadh back on-board the Red Dragon. Surely if he didn't like Ruadh then he would have simply told him to leave, right?
It was frustrating beyond anything else he'd ever dealt with before. Dragons were very straightforward creatures. These games that humans (and whatever Vinnissaen was) played were far from enjoyable. Really, they did little but make him want to eat people.
Which he was going to do. Right now.
Shrugging out of his jacket and pants, remembering belatedly that Vinnissaen had forbidden him from being naked in public and wincing, (though he could hardly change while still dressed - he'd ruin his clothes) Ruadh took a running leap off the stern of the ship. There was wind all around him, catching him, caressing him, then his wings caught the air and propelled him upward, a glorious crimson dragon just skimming the surface of the sea.
At least, he hoped he looked glorious. And that Vinnissaen was watching. He felt much less awkward and out of his element when he was in his dragon form - possibly because he was much, much bigger. It was hard to feel insignificant when he was longer than the ship he'd been sailing on.
When he was two thirds of the distance to the pirate ship Ruadh veered upward, spreading his wings wide and giving a loud roar, making sure to position himself just right so that the sunlight caught on all of his scales and made them glitter impressively. Inspiring terror in humans could almost be considered an art form, one Ruadh was rather good at to judge by the startled screams he could hear rising up from the pirate ship.
Lazily he glided around the ship in a slow arc, practicing his aim by setting fire to the tops of the masts one at a time. Perfect. He grinned widely, showing off his perfect rows of sharp teeth, then circled back around again before diving, snapping his wings out at the last moment and propelling himself upwards, a sharp crack echoing where the mizzenmast broke off, carried upward in his claws until he released it to fall back down into the ocean and sink beneath the waves.
One down, two to go. The foremast came off just as easily as the mizzenmast had, though the mainmast gave him more trouble. He snarled and raked his claws through it, feeling the thick wood shred and splinter, then it finally cracked and came off to be promptly hurled into the sea.
Now there was enough room to land, though he wasn't going to do that just yet. Landing would mean putting him far too close to the humans and their weaponry, and he wasn't stupid. No, he hovered above the ship with a little aid from his magic, long neck snapping down to pick off the terrified pirates one at a time and crunch them between his teeth.
What was it with Bad Guys and not bathing? Bleh. Maybe he should just set them all on fire after all... but no, Vinnissaen had said there might be Innocent Humans aboard, so he couldn't do that. Though maybe if he roasted them the pirates might taste better...
He set fire to the next one he caught, waiting for the screams to die before munching thoughtfully on the still-burning pirate, grimacing and spitting it out into the water after getting a good taste. That was it, no more eating humans. They tasted Foul.
Maybe he could crunch them without actually having to taste them. He experimented on the next few pirates stupid enough to come within range, discovering if he kept his tongue pressed to the roof of his mouth when he bit down he couldn't quite taste what was in his mouth. It was somewhat inefficient, though, as he kept having to pause to spit them out. Fortunately by that time there were few enough pirates left that he could land on the ship and snatch them up with his claws.
Much faster to just squish them and be done with it.
He ran out of Things To Squish sooner than he'd expected, lifting his head and snorting a little in surprise to find the ship deserted. Well, all of it he could see, anyway. Maybe there were more hiding belowdecks. That was a Happy Thought, though he'd have to roast those, as his dragon form was too large to go inside the ship and he was going to have to switch back to human shape to do so.
Just to be cautious he sniffed carefully at all the doors and hatches, not smelling anything Waiting To Skewer him should he venture inside, so he shifted back to his human shape and set out for the main stairs leading down belowdecks, flexing his claws in anticipation. Leftovers.
Sadly, he only discovered five pirates lying in wait for him, all of which managed to make the same mistake in their attacking of him. Namely, attacking him. Really now. Just because he was smaller didn't mean he didn't still have Sharp Claws and Fire Breath. Though it was kind of amusing watching their eyes widen right before they went up in flames...
He prowled deeper into the ship, letting himself into the main cargo hold and nearly tripping as he got his first look at the pirates' stolen goods. Oh yesssss. This was so worth the nasty taste lingering in the back of his mouth. Look at all the pretty shiny sparkly-
There was a sound. Ruadh's head snapped around, trying to focus on where it had come from. Stupid dragon, letting himself get distracted by the Pretty Things. Check for Nasty-Tasting Pirates first, then jack off over the treasures.
Oh, there was a nice thought. Vinnissaen, with his prettier-than-gold hair spread out across all the Sparkly Objects, naked and flushed and panting and-
Ruadh tripped, flailing wildly before his claws sunk into a large wooden support that was probably what used to be the main mast before Ruadh had snapped it off, clinging to it for a moment before gingerly releasing it and straightening. Right. No more Distracting Thoughts. They led all too frequently to Embarrassing Moments. Fortunately no one was around to see him act like an Idiot Human. Well, no one that wouldn't shortly be Roasted.
The quiet sound came again and Ruadh peered around a few large barrels to discover its source, fully prepared to roast himself another pirate, only to stop and blink at the sight before him. Huh. Slowly he closed his eyes and turned around, taking in the sight of all the pretty sparkly things behind him, then turned slowly back around and looked again. Nope, hadn't changed.
While he was staring at it, it whimpered, and probably would have tried to scoot further away from him if it wasn't already plastered up against the inner hull. And, he noted in some irritation, chained to a bulkhead. Well, that wouldn't do.
He stepped over next to the female (at least, he was fairly certain those were female clothes, though Lord Aeynanyi's human had explained to him the way different humans in different areas all wore different things and so there was no real way to know for certain without taking the clothing off and he didn't think the human would like it very much if he stripped it to check its gender) and contemplated the heavy manacles holding it to the wall. Thick, heavy iron. Too thick, he noted in annoyance, for him to break. Which left the other method. Though how to do that without harming the human...
Ah. Of course. Vinnissaen was much better than he was at fine control when it came to flames, so all Ruadh had to do was detach the human from the ship and get it to the Red Dragon. Problem Solved.
Grinning happily, though maybe a bit too widely if the way the human whimpered and held itself as far away from him as possible was any indication, Ruadh leaned close to the thick chains and gently blew on them. It took a little longer than usual to melt through them, but then he was trying to be careful so he didn't set the whole ship on fire. That would be Bad. Then he'd lose all the pretty treasure.
When he finished he surveyed his handiwork with pride. Very neatly done, leaving only the cuffs at wrist and ankle that Vinnissaen could get off later. The human was staring at him with wide, pale eyes, her cheeks tinted slightly pink. That was an odd expression. Huh. Oh well. He reached out and snagged one of the human's wrists, picking her up and tossing her over one shoulder, wincing when she screamed in his ear.
"Oi, quit that. I'm not going to eat you or anything," Ruadh said, not certain she could hear him over the sound of her own screaming. "I'm just gonna take you to someone who can get the rest of that stuff off, okay?"
She didn't seem very convinced, if the trembling and quiet whimpering were anything to go by. He sighed. Stupid humans.
At least the human stayed quiet on the trip back up to the top deck, where he was pleased to see that the Red Dragon had come up alongside the pirate ship while he'd been belowdecks. Ruadh waved cheerfully, waiting as Vinnissaen and several of his men swung over to meet him.
Vinnissaen was scowling at him, but then Vinnissaen was always scowling at him. Probably because he hadn't put his clothes back on yet. But his clothes were on the Red Dragon, and he absolutely refused to wear pirate clothes. They probably smelled as nasty as the pirates tasted.
"Hello Vinni...ssaen," he corrected himself just in time. "There's lots of pretty sparklies down below, and I found this too." Ruadh set the still-shivering human down on its feet, frowning as it didn't seem too sturdy on its own feet. Maybe he needed to pick it back up again before it fell over. "I melted the chains but the wrist ones are too close to skin so I thought you could fix those..." He trailed off, watching as Vinnissaen's face went completely blank as he looked at the human Ruadh had rescued. That was strange.
"Uh, Vinni?" he tried, disturbed when he didn't even get snapped at for the name-butchering. That was Very Strange. He almost jumped when Vinnissaen finally moved, reaching out to very gently take one of the female's hands and slide his thumbs beneath the heavy iron, the manacle falling off shortly thereafter. Vinnissaen repeated the process on the other three restraints, then politely offered his hand to the female, bowing low.
Okay, that was Very Very Strange. Vinnissaen was being nice. Maybe the strange human female had done something to him...
He reached out and touched Vinnissaen's arm, hurt when Vinnissaen shrugged it off and ignored him in favor of helping the female human back to the Red Dragon. Ruadh watched in silence as they made their way across, then bit his lip as Vinnissaen escorted her to his personal cabin.
Sailors moved around him, working to secure the cargo, occasionally asking questions, but he didn't notice any of it. His gaze was still fixed on that closed door and the painful tightness in his chest. It shouldn't hurt. There had to be some reason that Vinnissaen, who was cold and icy to everyone, would be almost kind to the dirty female he'd found. There was no reason to get upset, none at all.
With a heavy heart he returned to the Red Dragon, starting toward the quarterdeck and his discarded clothes, then stopping and changing his path to take him past Vinnissaen's cabin door. He'd just ask, real quick. It would be nothing major and everything would be okay again.
The door opened only moments after he knocked, revealing a particularly icy Vinnissaen. The pretty gold eyes that Ruadh was so fond of narrowed, then he abruptly found himself shoved back and the door slammed shut.
Though he hadn't actually fallen down this time, it felt like he had. Ruadh stared at the door for what seemed like an eternity, then slowly turned away. Most of the sailors on deck swiftly turned back to what they were doing, moving at an accelerated pace, all of them carefully avoiding him.
Abruptly he decided he'd had enough. He stalked to the edge of the ship and vaulted over the railing, making the change in the same instant and sweeping his wings downward, hearing the ship rock behind him from the unexpected pressure. Then he was off, away, high in the sky where he belonged. Soaring free. He'd fly as fast and as hard as he could, away from everything that kept him chained, away from the beautiful treasure that hated him.
He'd had enough. He was going home.
There were certain Human Things that Ruadh had come to appreciate. Alcohol, for instance. A nice sweet white wine went lovely with fish, though he was fond of the reds because they went better with seal, and to drown his sorrows until he couldn't remember why he was upset, there was always brandy. Apricot was good. Lots of it.
Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be working. While he'd lost the ability to walk in a straight line several glasses ago, his brain hadn't managed to get to the point where he didn't see hair like liquid gold every time he closed his eyes. He gazed mournfully into his empty snifter, then looked around to see where the innkeeper had gone.
Aw, Winds.
The humans parted in awe before a lithe, elegant figure as it made its way through the crowded taproom, coming to stand at Ruadh's table. Beautiful, graceful, with long silver hair and claws to match.
"May I sit with you?" Lord Aeynanyi Sirlennu asked gently.
Sighing deeply, Ruadh shoved his empty glass away and made to stand, only to be pushed firmly back down into his chair. When the room stopped spinning, Lord Aeynanyi was seated across from him, his face filled with concern. "I think you should not be trying to be formal right now, Ruadh," he chided gently. "You have enough alcohol in you that I burn to Heal it from your system, though I will not for now... I think perhaps there is a reason you are behaving thus. Will you tell it to me?"
Ruadh blinked slowly, seeing the gleaming silver hair and eyes and wishing they were gold. He bit his lip, grasping blindly for his glass until he remembered it was empty.
"I..." He swallowed. "It's... There's... someone." When Lord Aeynanyi didn't speak, merely watched him and waited, Ruadh carefully ordered his thoughts and tried again. "He was trapped by a spell. I thought he was human, but then he wasn't. I thought he'd be nicer when he was free, and he did let me back on his ship, but he still hates me. But if he hates me, why'd he let me come back on the Red Dragon after he told me to leave?"
Lord Aeynanyi passed him a glass which he promptly downed, grimacing when it turned out to be merely water. The look he got forestalled any protests he might have made, however, and he must have been quite inebriated indeed to have even considered arguing with the Wind Lord.
"One thing at a time, Ruadh," Lord Aeynanyi murmured, passing him another glass of water. "The Red Dragon... is a ship?" At Ruadh's nod, he continued. "And this person commands it?"
"Captain," Ruadh corrected, blinking slowly to make things stop spinning. "Captain Vinnissaen." He made a face. "Hates when I call him Vinni."
Lord Aeynanyi arched a brow, but apparently decided to let that one go. "And this Captain Vinnissaen of yours is not human...?"
Ruadh sat up a bit, frowning in thought. "Really pretty. Gold hair, gold eyes. Better than treasure. Dunno what he is... asked, but he wouldn't say." He held up a finger on either side of his head. "Fuzzy ears. And a tail. Pretty tail. Wanted to pet it, but then it went away..." That had been a disappointment. He wanted so badly to find out if the tail was as soft as the hair. Of course, he'd probably get kicked even harder for that...
"Tail?" Lord Aeynanyi repeated, both brows shooting up. "A Firechild? You met one of the fire children?"
Ruadh blinked. "Well, he burns stuff... and his hands and feet kinda looked like they were on fire when he had the tail..." He blinked curiously. "What's a fire child?"
Lord Aeynanyi smiled. "An old legend from the southern isles. Listed in some of the ancient archives, but no one from the east has seen one in so long that even the dragons had begun to believe them nothing more than fantasy, and our memories are far longer than that of humans. They're said to be the children of the Fire Lord, and bear a strong resemblance to foxes." He paused, a faint line creasing his brow. "There is so little still recorded... I think I remember reading something about a very strict society whose rules made little sense to outsiders... particularly we dragons, who prefer a simpler life."
"Nothing about Vinni is simple," Ruadh muttered, reaching for his glass again and nearly choking on the water he wasn't expecting. Stupid water.
"If your friend is truly a fire child," Lord Aeynanyi pointed out softly, "He may be acting entirely in keeping with the mannerisms of his people. Perhaps he sees nothing wrong in his actions, for it is all he knows." His smile quirked. "Much in the way that the humans of Miro's land still get upset when Deyllgo eats someone or forgets his pants."
Ruadh looked up sharply, grimacing when that made the world spin. "Still? I thought you'd finally gotten him trained..."
Lord Aeynanyi laughed. "I think I have given up. It is not important, in the end. We will be able to return to our own ways once we return to the Dragon Isles, and there it will not matter what Deyllgo does or does not wear, except as it concerns his small human."
Hiding a snicker, because you never knew who might be listening and you just did not laugh at Deyllgo even if you were the biggest, strongest, and fastest red dragon alive, Ruadh sat up slowly. "So, maybe Vinni's just acting weird because he's a fire fox child thing? Is he always gonna act weird? I'm kind of getting tired of being kicked..." He made a face.
Lord Aeynanyi chuckled quietly. "What happens to Deyllgo when his small human asks him to do something?"
Ruadh blinked. "He does it...?" When Lord Aeynanyi only smiled at him, he thought that back over for a moment before standing up swiftly enough to knock over his chair. "Oh! You think... then... Oh!" He turned, turned back, received a nod of permission and a soft laugh from the Wind Lord, then turned again and went dashing out of the inn, scattering startled humans along the way.
Outside, he shifted back into his dragon form and launched himself into the sky, not even hearing the cries of dismay as his wingbeats blew things every which way. He had a ship to find, and a snarly, irritable, beautiful fire captain to tame. It wouldn't be immediate, or even swift. Vinnissaen was grouchy enough to give even Deyllgo lessons. But he would do it, however long it took.
Vinnissaen was a Treasure. Ruadh's treasure. He just had to convince a certain snappish blond of that fact.
The biggest problem, Ruadh discovered, with drinking large amounts of alcohol all at once was it made flying a little bit tricky. First he spent far longer than he really thought was necessary trying to remember which way was South, then he managed to fall asleep and crash into the ocean, twice, and then once he finally made it back to the place where he'd left the ship... it wasn't there.
Huffing irritably, wishing the ringing in his head would go away, Ruadh slowly circled the spot where the Red Dragon had been, struggling past the haze in his mind to recall what direction they'd been headed before the whole Pirate Incident had occurred. South-east, he was fairly certain.
Rising back up high into the sky, he caught one of the fast, powerful air streams that occurred at that level and subtly strengthened it with his own magic, streaking through the atmosphere at speeds no human would ever experience. Any other day he'd be giddy with the delight such freedom always brought, but today he simply flew harder, faster, with a very singular Purpose.
Find his Treasure.
Claim his Treasure.
And if his Treasure objected, well, kisses were good at shutting him up, at least temporarily. Until Ruadh got kicked, anyway.
The Red Dragon had made good time. That, or Ruadh had been drunk longer than he remembered, which was equally possible. Either way, he was nearing the last few groupings of islands beyond which lay nothing but the southern sea before he finally spotted the familiar deep red sails of the Red Dragon. It appeared to be docked at a large island that was liberally dotted with structures, though the pounding in his head was prohibiting him from remembering which island, precisely, this one was.
It didn't really matter. Ruadh had decided he didn't care where he was, as long as he had his pretty gold Treasure. Regardless of what his Treasure thought about it.
He banked sharply, spiraling down and backwinging only once before changing shapes, landing roughly on the deck amidst wide-eyed sailors. He ignored all of them in favor of looking for a particular figure of bright red and gold, frowning when he didn't immediately find what he was after. Kormiel was at the helm, however, and that would have to do.
Ruadh vaulted up to join him on the quarterdeck, cutting him off before he had a chance to speak. "Where is he?"
Kormiel smiled wanly and gestured at the shore. "Took that lady you found ashore. Somehow he managed to get an audience with the king or emperor or whatever it is they call them down here. Think he's still there."
Had he been slightly less hung over, Ruadh might not have felt the irrational alarm that prompted him to launch himself back into the air and out over the island. In his still-a-tad-inebriated state, however, Kings meant Powerful Humans, and Powerful Humans tended to want More Power, and Vinnissaen had already been Bound once by idiots wanting such things. Therefore, Ruadh was just going to have to rescue him. Again.
Finding the royal palace wasn't hard. Humans were funny about their Important Buildings all having to be bigger and grander and more impressive than anyone else's Important Buildings. When he'd once asked a sailor about it, the man had snickered and told him they were Compensating, though Ruadh still hadn't figured out what that meant.
Still, whatever the reasons, it made figuring out where Vinnissaen had gone rather easy. He landed in a wide courtyard, sending humans fleeing in all directions, then shifted back to human so he could fit inside.
The inside was rather pleasant. It was different than the one belonging to Lord Aeynanyi's human, though he didn't have the time to figure out how, exactly. A few brave humans tried to stop him, only to flee again when he growled and bared his claws or, in one or two cases, blew out a little breath of flame in warning. He was rather proud of himself for not having to eat anyone yet; Vinnissaen wouldn't be able to yell at him.
Well, maybe he would. Ruadh realized belatedly that he hadn't remembered to pick up his clothes when he'd found the ship. So maybe Vinnissaen would yell at him after all. Probably. He seemed to have more of an issue with Ruadh's clothing than with Ruadh eating people.
The Big Important Meeting Room was not quite in the same place it was back in Lord Aeynanyi's human's castle, but it was close. The guards at the door put up more of a fight than any of the others had so far, though they didn't really last very long after he threw them at a wall. The door slowed him down a bit longer as it didn't quite seem to want to open, so he had to spend a few moments melting the hinges before knocking the doors down.
He strode past the wreckage he'd made of the door, immensely pleased to locate Vinnissaen's unmistakable spot of color right away, though somewhat less pleased when he noticed that his pretty captain was kneeling on the floor in front of a group of Most Likely Important Persons who-
Ruadh blinked, realizing belatedly that everyone in the room (minus himself, that is) all had fuzzy ears and tails and hands and feet that seemed to be on fire. Including Vinnissaen.
"Ruadh." That was Vinnissaen, wearing an expression Ruadh couldn't remember ever seeing before, and thus couldn't really identify. "What are you doing here?" He still hadn't gotten up off his knees.
Ruadh considered. "I came to see if you needed rescuing," he decided after a moment.
Vinnissaen grimaced and started to respond, only to be cut off by the Important Looking Man sitting on the platform in front of him. "Vinnissaen, what is this creature you have brought before us?"
Ruadh scowled. "He didn't bring me, I brought myself," he corrected, trying to look as Big and Intimidating as he could when in his human shape. "What are you doing to him?"
The Important Looking Man stared coldly at him. Ruadh stared back, doing his best Deyllgo-contemplating-dinner impression. After a moment the Important Man's lips tightened. "It is of no concern to outsiders."
"It is if you're hurting him," Ruadh growled, wishing he had a tail to lash. He didn't like these people. Maybe he was going to have to eat them. Hopefully they didn't taste as bad as pirates did.
"Ruadh," Vinnissaen's voice cut in, drawing his attention. "Stop. This isn't your place, and you don't have to defend me against my own people, idiot." He snorted.
"Silence, dishonored one," the Important Man snapped. "Do not speak unless you are addressed."
Ruadh snarled, stalking toward the Important Man and considering the best option for ensuring that nasty mouth was silenced. He got only two steps before he was abruptly engulfed in flames that were quite similar to the ones Vinnissaen frequently and futilely used on him. He snorted and resumed his stalk, slightly amused to note the varying expressions of panic crossing the Stupid People's faces when they realized their fire wasn't burning him. If anything, it tickled.
There were weapons drawn, now, though of course he had his claws they still had the longer reach. Maybe if he shifted... the room was plenty big enough for it...
He'd just about decided to change forms and start eating people when a high, female voice rang out over the room.
"Father."
Attention shifted away from Ruadh to the female not-human sitting just to the left of the Important Man. She looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place... Oh, hey, it was the female he'd found on the pirate ship, only now she had fuzzy ears and a tail too. He was starting to feel rather left out. Everyone was fuzzy except for him.
"Father, this is the man who rescued me from the horrible pirates," the female fuzzy thing said, very carefully not-quite-looking at Ruadh, her cheeks tinged faintly pink. "He is very ill-mannered and uncouth, but I do owe him my life."
All around them, everyone fell silent. This was really getting Very Annoying. Apparently something Important had been said, to judge from the stark silence, but it wasn't anything that Ruadh could discern through the growing throbbing in his head.
After a long minute's pause, during which Ruadh swore he could actually hear his head pounding, the Important Man finally spoke again.
"It seems, sir, that we Owe you a great debt," he said reluctantly. "Name your boon."
"Name my what?" Ruadh scowled. Stupid humans. Or not-humans. Whatever. Why did all creatures but dragons have to be so confusing?
"Ruadh," Vinnissaen said quietly, sounding rather resigned, "Come here."
"You have not been given permission to speak, dishonored one," the Important Man said irritably.
Ruadh snapped his teeth at him. "He wasn't talking to you." Reaching Vinnissaen, he dropped down into a crouch and waited.
"Before you manage to piss off the entire Empire of Flame," Vinnissaen said dryly, "Let me explain a few things. They're not hurting me. All they're doing is giving me a formal reprimand for being stupid enough to be Bound by a human. You-"
Ruadh cut him off. "Reprimand? They're yelling at you?"
Vinnissaen shook his head. "It's more complicated than that. I lost my honor by allowing myself to be captured, and I will have to prove myself again to regain it. I'll probably spend a few years as a servant to one of the minor lords before I'm-"
"What!" Ruadh growled low and made to rise so he could go rip out a certain throat, only to be stopped by a hand grabbing his arm tight.
"Settle down!" Vinnissaen snapped. "Quit behaving like an animal. You're only going to lower their opinion of you even further if you continue to act like an idiot. Now listen to me. The woman you rescued from the pirates is the Emperor's daughter. The Princess. Her life is valuable, and you saved it. Therefore, they owe you a considerable debt."
"But I don't want-"
Vinnissaen cut him off by covering Ruadh's mouth with his hand. "I know, your people don't do such things, but mine do. The debt must be repaid, or they will lose honor. Just pick what you want and go. Quit worrying about me, stupid lizard."
Ruadh scowled and started to argue that he wasn't stupid or a lizard (Really, how could anyone compare a magnificent dragon to an insignificant lizard?) when something occurred to him. He ran back over what Vinnissaen had said in his mind, feeling the need to repeat it just to be sure. "They lose honor until the debt-thing is paid?"
Vinnissaen nodded, cautiously, gold eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Ruadh-"
Grinning, Ruadh ignored him and stood once more, turning to face the Important Man and the Princess that he was starting to be rather fond of given that she'd just solved his problem for him. "Okay then, I'll trade you," he said cheerfully, not even the ache in his head enough to dim his spirits. "You give Vinni back his honor, and you can have yours back!"
They all stared at him. Behind him, he could hear Vinnissaen make an odd sound that seemed like a strange cross between a moan and a whimper. Then the back of his leg hurt. Vinni had probably punched him again.
"You wish... to transfer Vinnissaen's honor-debt to yourself?" the Important Man said slowly, his brow furrowed.
"Uh." Ruadh blinked. That wasn't what he'd said. Really, how stupid were these people? "I want you to lay off Vinni," he said carefully, making sure to speak slowly so they could understand him. "You do that favor for me, then that takes care of the debt-repaying thing, okay? We're all even."
"We are not even," Vinnissaen snapped, standing finally and coming up around him to glare. "Don't you understand a thing I've told you? A life debt is worth far more than an honor debt. I refuse to owe you my freedom twice, you idiot lizard!"
Ruadh blinked down at him curiously. While they were staring, one in fury, one in mild bewilderment, a strong voice announced, "Very well. I relinquish my claim over this child to you, red creature. My debt is paid."
Vinnissaen nearly shook with fury, his gold eyes flashing up at Ruadh. The dragon grinned and offered cheekily, "You could pay me back with kisses, you know."
It was the wrong thing to say, and he knew it, but he said it anyway. So he wasn't at all surprised to find himself doubled over in pain and watching his pretty gold captain stalk furiously out of the room. Why was it that his mouth just could never seem to obey him when Vinnissaen was around? It wasn't fair.
Carefully, trying not to limp too badly, Ruadh made his way out of the palace and back to the ship where, as expected, Vinnissaen was nowhere to be found. He sighed. Looked like they were right back where they started. He wondered if he had any wine left.
Ruadh wasn't sure what woke him, nor had he any clue what time it was, though he rather suspected it was late. He'd gone to his cabin to see about more wine and instead wound up passing out after having been up for several days straight without sleep. So, logically, given that he'd been that tired, he should have slept far longer than this.
Except something had woken him.
Peering into the gloom, Ruadh could just barely make out an odd figure that he was fairly certain wasn't supposed to be there. As he stared at it the figure brightened, illuminated by a flickering glow that originated from its hands and feet. Ruadh blinked.
"Vinni?"
The pretty blond captain was staring down at him with a strange expression, a cross between frustration and resignation. He wasn't wearing his hat or his jacket, though he did have on his undershirt and pants, and it was probably a good thing he wasn't wearing the hat because his ears and tail were showing and Ruadh couldn't help but think that it would be terribly uncomfortable to wear a hat over those ears. Though he couldn't say for sure, not actually having fuzzy ears.
And Vinnissaen still hadn't moved even during that mental digression. Ruadh started to sit up, only to find that he couldn't. A few moment's testing proved that he appeared to have been tied to his bed. He blinked. "Um, Vinni?"
Vinnissaen took a step closer, then another, until he was standing right next to Ruadh's bed. He stared at Ruadh for another long moment, then slowly his lips parted.
"You are without a doubt the most annoying, vexing, aggravating man I have ever met," Vinnissaen said calmly, his golden eyes never leaving Ruadh's face. "I have no doubt that you're going to drive me insane, if you haven't already."
"Um," Ruadh started to say, only to be cut off by one of Vinnissaen's hands being placed over his mouth.
"I tried to push you away, tried to wait until things were even between us. Instead, you just pushed harder, and now I owe you twice." A flicker of a grimace passed over his face, just for an instant, then the strange expression returned. "I cannot pay that debt. I can only come to you as an inferior, never as your equal, but I can't fucking wait anymore." He knelt on the edge of Ruadh's bed, leaning over him, long hair tumbling about them in a fall of glittering, shining gold. "You're driving me insane," he whispered into the silence, lowering his mouth to Ruadh's.
It was what all the other kisses should have been, only better, because Vinnissaen wasn't protesting, or kicking him, or trying to burn him. Vinnissaen was kissing him as though he thought he'd never get another kiss again and wanted to make a kiss that would never be forgotten. It was hot and hard, and Ruadh could feel the faint prick of sharp teeth as their tongues fought for supremacy. This, this was what he'd wanted. What he'd waited so long, so patiently to have.
Vinnissaen was straddling him now, his hands splayed over Ruadh's bare chest for balance as he attempted to suck Ruadh's tongue right out of his mouth. Ruadh attempted to bring his hands up around Vinnissaen's waist, growling when he remembered they were tied down, and earning a sharp nip to his lip from Vinnissaen in response to the growl.
Oh no. He was not going to just lie there and do nothing, regardless of what his pretty, exasperating fox thought. Bracing himself, Ruadh strained until he felt the ropes snap, immediately wrapping his arms around Vinnissaen's waist and yanking the man down flush against him. That was much better.
Not that Vinnissaen agreed. Vinnissaen never agreed. He snarled and bit Ruadh before pushing himself up and grabbing Ruadh's arms, surprising the dragon when he actually managed to yank them free and pin them over Ruadh's head.
"Why do you have to be so difficult?" Vinnissaen hissed, his tail lashing in annoyance.
"Why do you have to be so grumpy?" Ruadh shot back, wriggling a bit to test his new restraints, getting distracted by the expression that flitted across Vinnissaen's face in response to the wiggling. Oh, that was Nice. Let's do it again.
Vinnissaen shuddered, golden eyes slipping closed, giving Ruadh exactly the opportunity he needed to lunge up and attempt to reverse their positions, only remembering after he'd done it that his feet were still tied down. He yelped, flailing as his momentum carried him half off his bunk, kept from a complete fall by the restraints around his ankles. Somewhere above him, Vinnissaen snorted.
"Do all dragons have a problem with using their brains," he asked calmly, "Or is it just you?"
Before Ruadh got a chance to respond there was a tickling of fire about his feet and the ropes quite abruptly let go, landing him in a heap on the floor. He twisted over and glared up at Vinnissaen, who was sitting on his bed and smirking.
"I think you just get some twisted pleasure out of tormenting me," Ruadh muttered, picking himself up off the floor.
"I'm not the one who prefers to walk around naked," Vinnissaen snapped. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to do my job when you do that?"
Ruadh blinked slowly. "It's normal for dragons..."
"Well it's not normal for anyone else," Vinnissaen snarled, grabbing a handful of Ruadh's hair and yanking him down, crushing their mouths together. When he finally let go a long moment later he shoved Ruadh backwards until the dragon's back hit the wall, then slid off the bunk and stalked toward him until they were barely a breath apart.
"I do not like to share," he hissed, grabbing Ruadh's hair again and using it to drag the dragon's head down until their breath mingled. "I do not like to have others staring at what is mine. You will keep your damned clothes on when there are people who can see you."
A slow grin spread across Ruadh's face. "Even you?"
Vinnissaen snarled again and bit him, hard, before claiming his mouth for another bruising kiss.