Don't Hug and Tell

Writers: Aaron, Devin
Date Posted: 13th June 2026

Characters: H'lem, M'sar
Description: Nazoth learns from Mactallath what has him so anxious.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 1, day 9 of Turn 13
Notes: Mentioned: M'thos (not by name)
Follows "One Thing Led to Another"

Mactallath hummed anxiously. His eyes whirled yellow. But whatever it was that was bothering him was nowhere to be seen. H'lem was not there with him. He grunted. He sighed. He paced.

Nazoth tilted his head. }:Is something wrong?:{

Mactallath huffed. }:H'lem.:{ He sent images of H'lem crying to a fuzzy-faced Humansperson that radiated Authority Figure along with Parent and a healthy dose of Fianwyth-shaped.

Mactallath's own feelings of worry and anxiety spilled out of the image of crying H'lem like a wellspring.

}:Oh, yours is upset and sad. Why is he upset?:{ Nazoth came over and gently touched his muzzle to Mactallath's shoulder.

Mactallath greatly appreciated the contact. And by then, H'lem had started to calm down a touch. The Fianwyth-shaped weyrlingmaster was good at that.

As for why he was sad, Mactallath could not remember the incident itself, but it was vivid enough in H'lem's consciousness, he did not need to. He showed Nazoth The Offending Hug. Almost a snuggle, really, but not quite. A huggle. The boy H'lem was huggling was fuzzy, too, but there was a bit of a Scent of Domorth rubbed off on him, like he was Domorth-adjacent. H'lem's very strong affection for him was there, too, of course.

Nazoth considered all that for a moment. }:Why does hugging someone he feels good about make him upset? Hugs are very nice. I like when M'sar hugs me.:{

Mactallath sent very strong feelings of agreement with Nazoth along with bafflement at H'lem. He showed images that were clearly meant to be fears, exaggerated blurry forms shouting and angry at H'lem. He was afraid they would be angry that he huggled his boy.

But they were _not_! He showed another image of the weyrlingmaster, undistorted and kindly and reassuring. The way it really was.

}:You need to talk to H'lem,:{ Nazoth told his rider. }:He is upset and has made Mactallath upset.:{

M'sar made a face.**What's he upset about?** And why was it his problem?

}:Something about hugging? Go talk to him.:{

With an exasperated sigh at his dragon's insistence, M'sar went to H'lem's bunk, but the boy wasn't there.

Mactallath sent images to Nazoth of H'lem strolling merrily back to the wallows with a goofy smile on his face.

"Hey, M'sar!" he greeted his fellow weyrling as he returned. "What can I do for you?"

M'sar tilted his head. "Nazoth said you were upset." He sure didn't look upset.

H'lem blushed. So much for keeping this between himself and his dad.

"Yeah, I was for a minute. But my dad and I talked it out, and it turned out it was nothing."

"Nazoth said it was about hugging, which doesn't make any sense." M'sar snorted. "He made me come check on you."

"Aw, how sweet. You know, I almost thought you were actually worried about me all on your own!" H'lem chuckled. "It was nothing, really. I hugged Tannock at Turn's End and thought I was gonna get in trouble."

"For a _hug_?" M'sar scoffed and stared at him in disbelief. "Why would you think that?"

"For a man who so expertly wields his cock, I would have expected you to be more well versed in the passion of the cuddle, M'sar." H'lem stuck out his tongue. "Maybe I could teach you more than you realize."

"You little shit," M'sar said, slightly laughing. "'the passion of the cuddle'? Come on! Unless you were "cuddling" with your hands down each other's pants, ain't nothin' to get in trouble over."

"Well, I know that _now_." H'lem rolled his eyes. "Although, my dad did say that we were golden as long as our pants were _on_..."

"Don't test it." M'sar meant it as a joke, but then he frowned. "When you cross that line, you'll know it."

H'lem had been about to laugh. But then. He raised his eyebrow.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Don't act like you don't know." M'sar was sure everyone had heard about it by now.

Hearing the rumor _was_ what truly spiked H'lem's anxiety about what happened between him and Tannock, of course.

"I wasn't sure whether to believe it. I didn't want to. _Are_ you all right?"

"I'm fine. Nazoth's fine. He . . ." M'sar hesitated, but what would be the point of avoiding it? It wasn't like he could pretend it didn't happen. "He panicked but I got him calmed down."

"I'm glad nothing really bad happened," said H'lem.

"I know it could have," M'sar said quietly, guilt tightening his stomach.

"Hey. I know you know," said H'lem. "Since hugs are all right... how about we do one? Just a bro hug, obviously."

M'sar tensed. "No!"

}:You should. Hugs feel nice.:{ Nazoth pressed his will, gently but insistently, on M'sar.

It opened up that deep well of need for human contact inside M'sar. "Maybe," he said hesitantly. "If you don't tell anybody."

H'lem crossed his heart with his forefinger and held up his hand.

"I'll take it to my grave," he said in a mock-serious voice.

M'sar slowly opned his arms.

H'lem pressed his head against M'sar's chest and wrapped him in a strong but gentle hug. He was pretty good at this whole hugging thing, actually.

For a moment M'sar stiffened, then he put his arms around H'lem. It was . . . nice. Really nice. He couldn't remember the last time he'd hugged someone he wasn't sleeping with. M'sar's arms tightened into a firm embrace.

H'lem contentedly let the hug go on for as long as M'sar needed it to.

Several long seconds passed, and then embarrassment caught up with M'sar. He stepped back, the urge to say something biting or dismissive was nearly overwhelming, but . . . H'lem was just a kid, and M'sar wasn't Holdless anymore. He was a dragonrider, and nobody was going to screw with him if he showed a little weakness.

}:You are not weak,:{ Nazoth insisted.

"Yeah, well . . ." M'sar cleared his throat, not sure what to say.

"Do you wanna come over to my dads' place for dinner? You can meet Tannock," H'lem pressed his luck.

M'sar snorted incredulously. "I'm not having dinner with a _weyrlingmaster_!"

H'lem rolled his eyes dramatically.

"He's my _dad_. He won't be the weyrlingmaster at dinner."

"Fine. I don't want to have dinner with your _dad_," M'sar said.

H'lem tried not to let the pinprick of hurt show in his eyes.

"All right. Sorry," he huffed. "I'm not tryin' to make it weird."

"You did." M'sar firmly pushed away thoughts of eating with a family who accepted him.

"That's why I said sorry," H'lem grumped.

"Don't be a baby about it," M'sar said before he could stop himself.

H'lem had thought maybe they had grown close enough to be past such low blows. Or maybe they had gotten so close, they had come full circle back around to them.

"Ugh, you sound like my brother. I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing."

}:You shouldn't be mean to Mactallath's rider,:{ Nazoth said.

"Yeah, fine." M'sar left, ignoring the little flicker of guilt in his chest.

Last updated on the July 1st 2026

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Don't Hug and Tell