I Mean It

Writers: Devin, Bree
Date Posted: 3rd September 2007
Series: Saving Each Other

Characters: Talryne, N'vanik
Description: Talryne's bad day leads to surprising admissions.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 5, day 1 of Turn 4

Talryne

N'vanik

Talryne had dragged one of her crates over to N'vanik's weyr and was busily trying to stuff her things into it when he got back from drills. She gave him a half smile as she folded up a tunic and tucked it on top of several skeins of yarn. "Things keep collecting over here," she explained. "You'd think I didn't have a weyr of my own!"

"This is nothing compared to what you have over there," he said, amused. "I haven't been stabbed with a knitting needle on _my_ couch yet."

She laughed, but the sound was a bit strained. "I know, but still. It's not nice of me to throw things around here like this. You're going to get tired of tripping over yarn eventually."

"Well, the tripping isn't fun," he admitted.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, scrambling to her feet and heading for the bedroom. "I've got a bunch of clothes here, too. I don't know how they end up here since you'd think I'd need to wear something back to my weyr..."

N'vanik chuckled. "That's how some of my clothes end up there."

"Oh." She poked her head back out of his sleeping chamber. "Do you need any of them? I could run and get them."

"Nah. Leave it there. Makes it a lot easier when I need to find something to put on." He settled onto the couch, careful to first check for knitting needles.

She hesitated and then ducked back into the other room, coming out a few moments later with an armful of clothing. "I am sorry about the clutter," she said again as she knelt next to her stack and started folding things to make them fit. "I feel like you must think I'm trying to move back in or something."

He shrugged. "I get time alone. And I spend plenty of time over at your place, too."

"All right..." She folded a skirt and then glanced up at him again. "You're sure? I'm not annoying you?"

N'vanik sighed and rolled his head back. "No, Tal, you're not annoying me."

She shoved the pants into the box of belongings and picked up a tunic. "Yes, well, that was positively reassuring. Now I'm annoying you by asking you if I annoy you. I really am good at this."

"Just relax, Tal. It's okay. C'mon over here." He patted the couch. "You can do that later."

Her hands were trembling as she shoved another skirt into the crate. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "Today was... a little bit of an odd day. I'm just feeling a little off."

"What happened?" he asked gently.

"Just--" She shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it. It should have been nothing. I still... just get upset sometimes."

He looked at her for a moment. "Come sit down."

This time she obeyed, leaving the rest of the clothes in a tangle on the floor and slumping down on the couch next to him, her body pressed into his side. "I was having good days," she said sadly. "Lots of good days. And then..."

"It's okay." He ran a hand through her hair. "You'll have more good days. More and more all the time."

She shuddered and pressed her face into his chest. "You promise you're not sick of me?"

"I promise I'm not sick of you," N'vanik told her.

"And if you get sick of me you'll tell me," she pressed.

He sighed. "I'm not going to get sick of you."

Talryne didn't move her head from his chest. "Just annoyed with me because I won't stop asking you about it whenever I have a bad day."

"Only a little." He kissed the top of her head.

She lifted her head, her eyes sad and a little lost. "I feel so alone on the bad days. Sometimes I think I just push and push at you because I'm terrified you're going to leave and I just want to get it over with."

As he looked at her, he felt fear starting to creep up again. "I'm not going to leave you," he said quietly.

Talryne watched him for a moment, her expression not changing. Then she managed a sad smile. "Everyone leaves eventually."

"Well, yeah. We all gotta die sometime."

She opened her mouth and then closed it again without speaking. Then she slid into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek against his. "Thank you," she whispered.

He blinked. "For what?"

Talryne slid her fingers into his hair and pulled back to smile at him. "For somehow always saying the right thing even when you aren't trying to. You always end up making me feel better somehow."

N'vanik smiled at her. "With everyone else, I always manage to stick my foot in my mouth."

She snorted. "Then maybe we're both socially impaired. Lucky for us it seems to work out all right."

"Works out just fine." He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. She kissed him back slowly at first, her fingers drifting idly through his hair as her body relaxed against his. N'vanik leaned farther into the couch, gently rubbing her back.

When she finally pulled back her smile was more genuine. "That helps, too," she said softly, her fingers tracing small circles against his neck. "That helps a lot."

He gave her a lazy grin. "Always puts me in a better mood."

"Mmmm. Another thing we have in common." She laughed and leaned back in, kissing him again. "No wonder we get along so well."

"See? Why would I want to leave you?" He brushed a hand along her cheek. "No one else puts up with me so well."

"There's nothing to put up with," she protested quietly. "You're always so good to me, N'vanik. I don't know how you put up with _me_."

He spoke before he could think, before fear could stop him. "I love you."

There was a moment of stunned, tension filled silence as the words hung between them, and then Talryne was kissing him again. _Now_ he was afraid, but he tried to abandon himself in the kiss. Shards! _Shards_, he'd just said that _out loud_!

}:You told her how you feel. She is kissing you. Why are you upset?:{ Loseth asked.

**I didn't mean to say it!**

}:You were thinking it. You've been thinking it for a while.:{

She redoubled her efforts, trying to drive away the tension she felt in him. Her fingers fumbled with his tunic, trying to shove the fabric away so she could slide her fingers over his skin. He reached up to help her, shifting her in his arms so he could pull the tunic off. **But now she knows.**

}:Good.:{

N'vanik got up from the couch, taking her with him, tugging her along toward the sleeping room. Her tunic fell to the floor somewhere near the doorway, her thin undershirt sliding off just before he reached the side of the bed.

Talryne peeked up at him for a moment, looking almost as if she was going to say something, but then her fingers went to the ties on her skirt and she let her eyes slide back to the floor as she fumbled with the knot. He pulled off the rest of his clothing and then his hands closed over hers. Moving them aside, he undid the knot. What had she been about to say? **Later,** he told himself.

The skirt ended up in a puddle around Talryne's feet before she lifted her eyes to his again, and there was something almost nervous in her face as she stepped into his arms. She kissed his collarbone softly before turning her head to press her cheek against his chest, listening to his heart. "I want you," she whispered. "So much it's scary."

His already fast-beating heart moved faster. "I meant what I said."

"Then I'll try not to be scared of how much I want you." She released him and slid back onto the bed, watching him with large, dark eyes.

He managed a small smile as he joined her. "This is all very scary." One hand went to the back of her head, sliding up under her hair as he pulled her lips to his. She kissed him back more gently this time, though it wasn't clear if she was trying to sooth her own nervousness or his. N'vanik deepened the kiss a little. They were both unsure, afraid, and that was reassuring in a way.

It seemed to take forever for Talryne's hands to move from his shoulders, and even then her touch stayed light and tentative as her fingers ghosted down his back. Then her fingers dug into his lower back and she moaned against his lips as need flared and finally swept nervousness away.

He moved slowly, with gentle touches and an occasional nip along her skin. As he slid against her, he pulled back to look at her, watching her eyes. She slid one hand up to his face, brushing her thumb across his lower lip softly as she sighed in shivering pleasure. He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the touch, enjoying the feel of her against him and the soft sounds she made. Then he bent to kiss her, one hand trailing along her side.

Talryne's lips slid from his, working their way up his jaw until her mouth hovered over his ear. She traced her lips along the shell of his ear before sighing his name. The words that followed were so quiet he could barely hear them. "I love you, too."

Last updated on the September 3rd 2007

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I Mean It