Unrestrained
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Devin
Date Posted: 13th October 2025
Characters: K'mai, Z'kim
Description: Z’kim encourages K’mai to ask questions and K’mai does a poor job of restraining himself.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 10, day 15 of Turn 12
Notes: Follows “You Are Not Alone” and a few other posts
Mentioned: I’serin, N’vanik
When Z’kim spotted K’mai again, the bluerider still had that dazed, happy look on his face. It was adorable. “Would you like to dance?”
“I would _love_ to.” K’mai put down his drink and took Z’kim’s hand.
As they began swaying to the slow song, Z’kim chuckled. “You look like you’re about to float away.”
“I feel like I could.” K’mai’s smile brightened. “Shards, I can’t believe he . . .” The bluerider shook his head. His hand still tingled where I’serin had kissed it. “But we shouldn’t talk about that here.” His eyes cleared a little. “Any restrictions on what _you_ can talk about?”
“Nik doesn’t want me giving _details_.” Z’kim bit his lip. “But otherwise no restrictions. Go ahead, K’mai of blue Sebeth, what are you dying to know?”
He had so many questions. “How long has this been going on? Obviously since before the last Hatching. I _knew_ I was right.”
Z’kim chuckled. “And I’m man enough to admit I was wrong.” He’d figured out K’mai’s infatuation, but he hadn’t even considered that I’serin would return those feelings. And then declare them to N’vanik, no less. The reserved Dragonsfall Weyrleader and the flirtatious bluerider, what a strange pairing they were.
A chill of fear went through K’mai. “Don’t "”
“I won’t. I was wrong about something, you were right about something. That’s all.” Z’kim arched an eyebrow. It had been such a generic comment he hadn’t thought it would be an issue. He thought of their conversation at Barrier Lake, the look of panic on K’mai’s face. Z’kim had thought it was fear that I’serin, or perhaps anyone, would hear about K’mai’s crush. But tonight K’mai had asked him and N’vanik to be quiet for I’serin’s sake. K’mai had been afraid _for_ I’serin.
Z’kim hated that anyone would need to hide who they were attracted to, _especially_ in a weyr. But . . . he’d also just watched Nik nearly get into more than one fight in less than a candlemark because of rude comments people were making. That I’serin didn’t want to face that, especially when he was already dealing with the pressures of being a Weyrleader, well . . . Z’kim couldn’t really blame him.
K’mai let out a breath and his smile returned. “So? How long?”
Z’kim laughed and it turned into a thoughtful hum. “I can give you the long version later, but the short answer is we’ve been sleeping together outside the flight room for about nine months now.”
“Since Month 1? Really? Us t" . . . er, I mean, how interesting.” That third glass of sparkling wine might have been a mistake.
“I’m learning so many interesting things about you tonight.” Z’kim looked up at the tall bluerider with a teasing smile.
K’mai had to laugh at himself. He felt giddy. He had someone to _talk_ to, another man who understood what it was like to sneak around with a Weyrleader . . . Or at least not be fully public about it for months. “Was it planned? The kiss?”
“No. Nik can be . . . spontaneous.” Z’kim’s voice was warm and low as he thought of that kiss in front of the entire Weyr, and of other things they’d done in private.
I’serin could be surprisingly spontaneous, too, especially for a man prone to overthinking. Faranth, he’d actually _told_ N’vanik, kissed K’mai’s hand, _claimed_ him in front of other people. “You’re a lucky man, Z’kim.” And K’mai was spectacularly lucky, too.
“Oh, I know.” Z’kim was living out the fantasy of so many men, and now that it was out in the open he had no desire to be modest about it.
“You’ve been friends for a long time, right? Have you been pining for him this whole time?” K’mai asked.
Z’kim snorted. “I told you, I don’t do pining. Have I always thought he was hot? Yes. Have I always wanted him outside the flight room? Yes. We have blazing hot sex, and I love him dearly because he’s my friend but it isn’t . . .” He waved a hand. “Like that.” He wondered how long K’mai had been pining for _his_ bronzerider before they’d gotten together, but that question would have to wait.
Ah, so it wasn’t romantic. “I get that. So, you weren’t sleeping together before. Was that because N’vanik thought he had to follow those bronzerider stereotypes?”
The greenrider shook his head. “That’s part of the longer story. He’s never been attracted to men outside the flight room until now.”
K’mai’s eyebrow went up. “Huh. Well, people do change.” Though many people assumed dragons chose in large part based on sexuality, as if who you were attracted to at twelve or fourteen or even twenty was locked in forever. Clearly that wasn’t always true though. There was I’serin, who only liked men, and yet had Impressed bronze, and there was N’vanik, who it seemed had developed an attraction to men despite riding bronze.
“I like to tease that I’m so hot I turned him.” Z’kim laughed.
“You are stunning.” K’mai looked him over appreciatively. “Love the matching outfits by the way.”
“Thank you. I designed them. You look very fetching yourself.” Z’kim’s gaze roamed over the bluerider’s strong form. “You wore that same tunic at Barrier Lake, didn’t you?”
K’mai broke into a fond smile and took his hand off Z’kim’s waist to run his fingers over the fabric. “He" it was a gift.” The urge to say more bubbled inside him and it was too hard to resist. Bending down, K’mai whispered into Z’kim’s ear, “The bronze thread is for him.”
The greenrider laughed. “You’ve got it _so_ bad.” He didn’t understand what K’mai saw in the awkward-looking, reserved bronzerider, but K’mai was clearly besotted.
K’mai straightened up and sent Z’kim for a slow spin while he tried to get ahold of himself. He wanted to tell everyone. He wanted to kiss I’serin in front of the whole Weyr and dance together all night. For a moment he had an almost irresistible urge to look for I’serin, just to see him, to feel their eyes meet across the room and let his lover know how much he . . .
The bluerider took a deep breath. He noticed a nearby couple, a greenrider and another man, who were doing a poor job of trying to hide that they were eavesdropping. K’mai spoke a little louder than he needed to. “You know, every man who’s into men is going to try to get their hands on N’vanik now.”
Z’kim had noticed them, too, and he grinned up at K’mai. “Too bad, he’s all mine. At least as far as men go. The ladies still have a chance.”
K’mai chuckled. “Are you warning me off, too?”
“You can flirt if you like. He enjoys that.” Z’kim arched an eyebrow and ran his finger over the bronze thread in K’mai’s tunic. “That is, if it won’t cause problems for you.” Was I’serin the jealous type? That seemed a poor fit for someone as amorous as K’mai.
“I have been called an incorrigible flirt.” K’mai’s chest filled with warmth as he thought of that teasing endearment. He could _hear_ it in I’serin’s tender voice. Unable to hold back, he leaned close to Z’kim’s ear. “When he says that, it’s the sweetest thing.”
“Shards, you’re _ridiculous_,” Z’kim said with a laugh. The bluerider was as smitten as a teenager with his first love. When K’mai tried to lean back, Z’kim put a hand on his shoulder to hold him there and said in a low voice, “Since you keep breaking your own rule, how about we go talk in N’vanik’s weyr?” Besides, Z’kim had plenty of questions for him.
“I would _love_ to.” As they wove through the other dancers and headed for the door, K’mai asked, “Are you sure N’vanik is okay with that?” The Weyrleader might not appreciate them borrowing his weyr without permission.
Z’kim grinned. “If he gets upset about it, he can spank me later.”
K’mai laughed loud and hard.
Last updated on the October 28th 2025