The Great Sport of Waterball
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: Sia, Yvonne
Date Posted: 22nd December 2025
Characters: A'khal, H'run
Description: H'run and A'khal have a _great_ time at the beach.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 7, day 14 of Turn 12
The heat clung heavy to the air as the waterball game wound down, players laughing and gasping for breath in the shallows. The score had long since stopped mattering; now it was all splashes, playful shoves, and the last few desperate grabs for the ball before someone declared it over. A’khal stood waist-deep, dripping and grinning, his hair plastered dark against his brow. He tossed the ball high towards a teammate as a man on the opposite team lunged for him. He re-emerged from the water like something from a storybook, running a hand slowly through his wet hair. He took the brief few seconds of reprieve to glance back towards the shore, looking to see if H'run was still watching. He turned his hips _just so_ that those at the beach would be sure to see the droplets streaming down his chest. He knew what he's about.
**Flirt.** Then" **Is he even looking at me?** There were a lot of people on the beach pretending to read or splash in the water or do whatever else they were pretending to do. H’run lounged beneath an absurdly large umbrella with his gitar, which he hadn’t touched. Waterball was much better than Dragonsfall’s sport of hockey.
Eventually someone called the game, and the 'field' dissolved into good natured shouts as players dispersed. A'kal waded out with unhurried strides, rivulets of water tracing enticing paths down over his stomach and along the line of his hip.
He reached the towel he'd abandoned earlier and shook it open in a slow, practiced flick, then draped it over his shoulders. He dragged it down across his chest, deliberate and lazy, before hooking it around the back of his neck and letting it hang so the breeze could cool him. One hand worked absently at drying his hair; the other lingered at the towel’s edge, fingers grazing the hollow of his collarbone. His eyes glanced back over to H'run more than once, confident that he was watching such an obvious display, before he ambled his way over.
"You should join us next time!" A'khal said. "The view is much better when you're closer to the action."
“I believe you.” H’run let his gaze drift down the length of A’khal’s bronzed body before offering him a smile. A’khal knew what he was doing. “But I am _very_ content to watch.”
A’khal let out a soft laugh at H’run’s answer. The attention was pleasantly exhilarating. "Good! I worked hard to make sure you got the best view. Though as much as I love an audience, the audience is welcome to join in. I don't mind having someone to stare at."
“Alas, I am not much of a… sports participant. However I may be persuaded to join in on your next game.” He bit his lip and looked up at the Wingthird through his eyelashes. “Depending on what it might be.”
A’khal felt the heat coil deeper than the sunburned flush across his shoulders. The bite of H’run’s lip and that practiced glance upward left him momentarily suspended between the need to tease and the urge to close the distance right there on the sand. He settled, as always, on the teasing" didn’t stop when the ball was dropped.
“Oh?” He shifted his towel from one shoulder to the other, every movement languid, deliberate. His grin crooked higher. "I think I can come up with something that doesn’t require running or diving in the water. Something with… rules that are a little more flexible.”
H’run held out his hand so that A’khal could help him stand. “Oh good. I am terrible with rules.”
A’khal took the hand without hesitation, his grip firm but warm, letting the pull linger a longer than necessary as he drew H’run to his feet. “Rules are overrated anyway.”
“So glad you agree with me,” H’run purred. Shells, A’khal’s hands were so _warm_. He didn’t let go. “Which is your least favourite?”
A'khal's brows arched, his grin spreading across his face. "Least favourite?" he echoed, pretending to think as he let his thumb trace lightly against H'run's knuckles, "Probably the one that says I should behave myself."
H’run pretended to look surprised. “Really? Me too! The number of times I have ended up _completely_ dressed down by a Wingthird are shameful.”
"I can do that, if you prefer." A'khal said, "I have several lectures prepared. Though I'd rather a more literal dressing-down."
H’run glanced down at his nearly naked self. “Should I put more on?”
A’khal huffed a low, appreciative sound"almost a laugh, almost something hungrier. “Less,” he corrected, “Absolutely less.”
“I do like Dolphin Cove,” H’run said under his breath. The sun, the views, the _everything_. To A’khal he offered a bright smile. “I suppose I can think of some reason to deserve a good dressing down. I can be _terribly_ naughty.”
"Yes, I can tell bad behaviour gets rewarded at Dragonsfall. Not that I'm complaining." A'khal added, and pretended to hide the patch of skin where his shoulder knots would hang. He reached for H'run's hand again, pulling him gently towards the water. “Join me in the water. Then join me in my weyr later if you're feeling naughty."
H’run quite happily let himself be led into the blue water and into whatever would come next.
Last updated on the December 30th 2025