Smeared black ink [F'ur]

[rii]

F'lix bristled at the words, silently wishing the man would leave. The anger continue to brush at his mind, and his fingers twitched at the urge to lash out–not with any reason behind the action, but to express his discomfort and irritation it would do well enough. At first he didn't yield to the touch to turn his face, stubbornly wanting to just ignore everything until his nerves had settled down. But, against his better interests, he complied to the gesture.

Golden eyes quickly swept over F'ur's face, trying to read into what laid before him. Literally so, as it seemed the man had made himself comfortable on the rock which meant he had no intention of leaving. F'lix had not been paying much mind to F'ur's reactions before–too caught up in his own flare of temper to really notice–but now he examined the other under veiled curiosity. The light brush of thumb made F'lix relax his stern expression, albeit his eyes narrowed in response to the words. Even he could still get hopeful about things, as much as he wished he could have completely shed such emotions. Instead he had learned to lock them up somewhere in his mind, turn them off. A reason why he had never been completely broken at Benden–oh, but he was damaged, obviously. But nearly a turn at Selenitas had let these neglected emotions back out..

"You knew I was there," The younger snipped quietly. That had been the condition, as long as F'ur knew he was there, triggering those combat reflexes wouldn't be a problem. But if things between them had been moved back to those other conditions, where F'lix didn't touch F'ur at all, then all the better. It would do F'lix good not to be allow so..

close..

One moment F'lix had been going back into his brooding mood, but with a blur of motion all previous thought was lost. F'ur's weight pressing down on him, while not uncomfortable still made F'lix began to stiffen with eyes widened in alarm. Wha? — The following kiss to his neck seemed to flip a switch inside of the younger bluerider. It was one of those spots. Golden eyes fell half-lidded as he quickly turned his face to the side to give better access to the vulnerable area; pulse fluttering under F'ur's lips. Even the growling against his throat sent a pleasant chill throughout F'lix, back reflexively arching a small bit with wrists pulling against F'ur's hands.

He nearly missed the spoken words. A part of him did question the motives behind the actions, but he didn't give it much thought, finding himself caught up with the kiss that made him feel.. wanted. More than glad to feel claimed by the firm press of lips. And, not wanting to miss his chance this time around–who knows, it may be his last one–F'lix hesitated only a moment before he returned the kiss. Not enough to challenge F'ur's dominance, but it blended in with F'lix own touch of aggression. Teeth nipped on F'ur's upper lip with only pressure enough to be a touch painful. The desire there all too clear.

F'lix didn't even realize his hands had been freed, until F'ur pulled away and the younger felt his fingers already woven in with the man's hair. The other hand had fingers curled in the front of the white shirt. F'lix's canine tooth found the corner of his own lip as he looked back up at F'ur, not really sure what to say to all that. And besides, he was having trouble thinking clearly, if at all. Not when F'ur got this close, rational thought just didn't happen. F'lix pulse was still going strong but he managed to push his urges down to remain relaxed against the rock. Though the desire to do otherwise was spoken plainly with the slight haze to his golden eyes. For once not looking away from F'ur.

He wasn't going to push matters, and whatever was going to be, was up to the Fortian. F'lix feelings weren't going anywhere, but he knew F'ur had the bigger demon in all this. F'lix was willing to be patient (even though his body was saying very different things, and he was itching to touch, bite, kiss–but felt he didn't quite have full permission to do such a thing) because he trusted the other. Even though it seemed unwise to be so, it didn't change that it was the truth.

Fingers gently smoothed down the back of F'ur's hair, slipping away from the strands and.. with an apologetic smile, a soft clearing of throat, and a pink tinge splashing across his cheekbones that had nothing to do with the kiss or the close proximity.. F'lix reached up and quickly brushed off the oily black smear still present on the end of F'ur's nose. He withdrew his fingers, holding them out to show the stain now on his thumb, his other digits still smeared with the blood from the cuts on his cheek.

[Requiem]

The silly bluerider didn't truly understand why F'ur got so annoyed with him, but that was all right. Maybe even better, though that didn't mean the annoyance would diminish any. F'ur could control his reactions when he knew the person was there, of course, but it was a significant struggle if he was surprised, just the same. He didn't like how close he came to outright killing the kid. Time...and time...again. Maybe he was more sensitive to it now because of the incident at the beach, but he still didn't like it. F'lix wasn't risking just injuring himself. Still, it was no use arguing about. He could control himself and would...he just wished he didn't have to. It scared him to come so close and he reacted to fear as most men in his position did - annoyance and a touch of anger.

Because it would be more than just a little irritating, now that he'd finally moved past the mental barriers that had been worrying at him for months, to snap F'lix's neck. Despite all the flirtations, the occasional dalliances (none at Selenitas, strangely enough) he didn't just jump into things. Finding another might take turns. Moreover, he wanted to learn about this intriguing creature arching beneath him, to explore him in every sense of the word. F'lix remained one of the only people who consistently surprised him. F'ur was generally good at reading people. The mystery was enticing.

Fort had offered a much broader selection of potentials, so losing one this early on wouldn't have phased him much. Here, though...they were on the whole either too boring, too homophobic, too easy or too weak. He'd never thought he was particularly picky, but it seemed he was.

And yet. And yet. He maintained the small amount of space between them - between their faces, really - because he'd been around long enough to know that just because a man returned your kiss, moved against you, didn't mean he wouldn't think better of it the moment you'd removed your lips. F'lix wasn't saying anything, but the glare wasn't there anymore, the hunger clear. F'ur couldn't help the smirk that tugged at his lips. So the wildcat wasn't going to fight him on this? He'd almost expected it, considering F'lix never made things easy. Then again, he wouldn't be interesting if he did, now would he?

The removal of the hand and the blush that seemed out of place on the kitten made him doubt for a moment, though, still holding himself apart. Then the reason became clear and he chuckled gruffly, reaching out and taking the bluerider by the wrist. "When did you do that?" he inquired, clearly amused. He usually noticed such things, but it would have been easy when they were wrestling, he supposed...F'ur lowered his head to the hand, lapping at F'lix's pointer finger before gently sucking it into his mouth - cleaning away the blood. Only once he was satisfied did he move onto the next, until all were clean.

He then ran his tongue along F'lix's lips, offering the taste, a knowing amusement in his eyes. The second kiss was longer than the first, and ended with F'ur's head dropping to just beside F'lix's ear. He nibbled at the lobe, the bite an imitation of the one the younger rider had given him earlier. "When are you planning on finishing the foot carving?" he questioned, coiling the fingers of his left hand into F'lix's right.

The man was thinking that they might actually meet inside the weyr for once. They were neighbors, after all, and furs were softer than rock. Not that he cared at all presently.

[rii]

F'lix continued to worry over his lower lip while his vibrant eyes were shifting between F'ur's dark ones, his own silent search. The younger didn't want to question, to analyze and try to rationalize the series of events. The problem was his mind went to dark places–assuming the worst. Those were well worn pathways in his thought process. More than a little difficult to steer them in a new direction. At least for long before they shied away and went back to what was familiar–even if the old way was dark and unpleasant.

Would this too be a pastime, until F'ur grew bored? If the man had intentions of trying to hurt F'lix, in a personal way, the younger was leaving himself wide open. He couldn't seem to close himself off either. A glutton for punishment, maybe. It wasn't as if F'lix was unaware of the man's.. habits. The humiliation of those others. Because yes, they were neighbors, and a sunning Saboth felt it necessary to share such information. The blue didn't approve of the older pair. To be fair, Saboth didn't approve of anyone getting that kind of close to his mindmate. Only the blue was ever there for His–no one else could be trusted. He was not so willing to trust as his bonded.

Despite his worries, there F'lix was, again, being hopeful. No matter how brutally beaten that emotion got, it always seemed to be able to stand back up. Such a small, weak feeling that barely had a voice–but there all the same.

The chuckle drew a faint smile out of the younger rider, a bit smug that F'ur had not noticed the ink spot. "I.." The words trailed off as he observed F'ur cleaning off the blood. Something flickered behind F'lix's golden eyes–a dark interest. He looked back up at F'ur's face with a quiet questioning. F'lix had to clear his throat before he could talk. F'ur certainly knew how to get a person's attention. He pantomimed the wiping motion with his free hand. "With the rag."

The following look on F'ur's face F'lix read as a challenge–and the younger met it, taking F'ur up on that offer. Initiating the kiss and sampling the taste of blood. A faint tang that F'lix decided tasted best in this fashion. The nip to his ear made F'lix turn his face toward the other, lightly snapping his teeth next to F'ur's jawline. The man was making it difficult, oh so difficult to think.

"Depends." One leg coiled around F'ur's and F'lix used it as a brace to push up off the rock and into F'ur–free arm elbowing behind him. F'lix was not shy when it came to physical contact, but things like showing affection.. caring.. little innocent, harmless things like fingers intertwined.. F'lix was sheepish toward such things. Those acts made him flush, a flighty nervousness, since his emotions were involved (thankfully he was already a bit red) But.. his first thought was that F'ur was going to twist his fingers, force his arm around in to a submissive hold. It made F'lix a strange sort of nervous, and at first touch his fingers twitched. He had a lot of small, personal demons haunting him..

"On a few things." He nuzzled the air next to F'ur's face, again reverting back to not touching. The younger was testing the new waters–to see how much he could return the attention. F'ur usually gave F'lix the impression he liked to touch, not be touched. But, F'lix enjoyed.. teasing. His head dipped, teeth grazing feather-light along F'ur's neck–following the pulse. There was something wholly intimate about that spot and being allowed there. A man's very life thrumming warmly just beneath the skin.

"How fast you heal, for one. And.." He bit down, a slow pressure–that before it became too painful or leave a mark, ended in a light press of lips. "Whether or not it gets infected." He growled softly, a clear shifting of topic and mood. He moved intertwined hands behind his back to awkwardly remove the sheath and dagger. It had been pressing uncomfortably into his spine. Rock wasn't very forgiving either. He hadn't wanted to reach with his free hand because of the worry F'ur might have thought he was pulling a blade on him.

He pushed up against F'ur, silently voicing he wanted to sit up–continuing on with the sudden interest in the topic of the ink carving. Really, he just trying to get a bit of space to think; being unable to do so under F'ur's rather.. direct attention. "Should clean it with some redwort, just in case. I don't want to re-do lines.."

[Requiem]

Bold and tentative all at once. Odd mix. One he hadn't really encountered before - it tended to swing one way or the other, in his experience - but F'ur wasn't complaining. It was just like F'lix, really. Not definitively one way or another. The reluctance at the intertwined fingers didn't escape him, but then, neither did the press of the kitten's body into him. Hard not to notice that.

He cocked his head to one side, a brow lifting mildly, even as his eyes drifted back down to F'lix's lips. Another taste would be appropriate from this position. He elected not to comment on the odd motion that wasn't quite a touch. "A few th- hrn." He shivered, pressing against F'lix and the mouth at his throat, chin lifting and baring it more to the kitten's touch. It was no accident that he'd begun with F'lix's throat a moment ago. Shouldn't be at all surprising that the adrenaline junkie loved the vulnerability inherent in having someone at his throat...certainly there was no one else who would be allowed that, not here. Not at this time.

Shards. A soft growl. He hadn't intended on more than just a few nuzzles, to make his interest clear, out here in the open air, on the rock. But F'lix was making him forget why he'd decided that to begin with. He forced his mind to the younger man's words. "Right. I...don't really know. Don't pay attention." If it wasn't stopping him from doing anything, he didn't care. But he probably healed fast? His metabolism was pretty fast. Were those even related?

Oh, right, that must have been uncomfortable. He yielded to F'lix's press upward, ending up on one knee due to their entertwined legs. His hand slipped from F'lix's to make the positioning a little less awkward. Mildly disappointed - he'd been quite all right with the close proximity - at least it was easier to concentrate. "Would be a pain to have to start over." Redwort, then. If he could remember to apply it. F'ur really didn't pay much attention to such things. "I don't suppose you have any on you?" Because he'd almost undoubtedly forget if he waited until he got back to the weyr.

Despite a small distance being created between them, F'ur found that his hand had drifted, even while he was talking, and was toying with the edge of F'lix's shirt. He sighed and withdrew it. Honestly. But...still couldn't resist another kiss. He caught up F'lix's chin, nibbling playfully at the kitten's lips. His expression shifted into something mildly sheepish as he withdrew. "Sorry. You taste good. Focusing now," he promised, with a small chuckle. "You do still have my leg though."

Not that he couldn't remove it if he wanted to...but F'lix had taken it, so it was up to F'lix to release it, right? Or such was the mood F'ur was presently in.

[rii]

F'lix very much liked the reaction his attention earned. Quietly noting the spot with satisfaction–the younger took enjoyment in it. Though he didn't know what to make of the following growl; approval or annoyance? Perhaps a mixture of both. Regardless, a small, amused smile curved on F'lix's lips. The verbal responses from F'ur sounded a bit.. off. Had F'lix distracted him so easily? The idea pleased the younger. Turn-about was fair play.

As F'ur moved, F'lix inched back to be able to sit up more fully, though he didn't go far–a tad fond and comfortable with the close proximity; losing it all so quickly left him wanting.. what, he couldn't tell. Hm, F'lix couldn't immediately recall the last time he had been that close to someone without being under the infliction of pain–or trying to start a fight.

"Redwort? No." F'lix wrinkled his nose at the thought of packing around the disinfecting herb. The smell alone was unpleasant, it also, annoyingly, stained anything it contacted. "I have some in my weyr." The comment came out absently as he thought of the sealed jar tucked away in his room; along with the other various medical supplies he kept for personal use. As often as he got himself hurt, he didn't like to constantly be in the infirmary bugging the healers. He had been treated enough by them to learn to tend to his own wounds.

And the younger really did not want to re-carve the lines. It bothered him to not get something right the first time. He often enough practiced something over and over in his mind before actually trying. Not like he could erase any of the lines on F'ur's foot. They were near enough perfect, and only the artist's eye saw the slight errs. A special care and concentration had gone into the work, too much to have it ruined by an infection. "If it looks well enough after a couple days, likely I can finish it."

A single eyebrow rose in question toward the sounded sigh and withdrawing hand. A wave of worry rose in F'lix as he wondered if he had done something wrong. The kiss and following words brushed aside the worry and the younger tilted his head to the side–amused. He contributed the good taste to the faint coppery flavor that still lingered. Just thinking about it made F'lix absently run his tongue over his lower lip. His humor, however, laid in F'ur's words. 'Focusing now' F'lix couldn't help but take it as an invitation to 'distract' him; challenge that area of control..

"That I do." F'lix replied playfully, keeping F'ur's leg captive a moment longer for emphasis. He eventually freed the limb, scooting backwards and quickly bending legs under himself. The younger rose on knees in front of the other, hands moving forward, no hesitation as they slipped under the white shirt to touch against skin. This was an acceptable game to him, thus his lack of nervousness (at least for now). "Sorry about that." F'lix touched briefly against the other side of F'ur's neck–a light grazing of teeth. "Excuse me."

F'lix pardoned himself as he slid off to the side, brushing by F'ur, hand running low along his abdomen–fingers pressing firmly, almost curled to claw. He stepped off the rock. "I need to clean my own foot off.. and change clothes." Yes, muddy shirt and pants. Bleh. Probably would just do to go bathe. The black ink was still somewhat smeared on his own face. Who knew what was in his hair. F'lix again wrinkled his nose, a hand raising to the short dark strands to comb through and maybe dislodge any debris. Definitely a bath.

[Requiem]

Was that an invitation? The faintly amused, questioning look on his face would have been more than enough for his little brownrider to figure out what he was thinking - asking. But the only thing that made F'lix's unpredictability acceptable was the fact that he didn't really read F'ur, either. Lopsided interactions usually ended badly. Or, at least, F'ur didn't care to be the only one who could be figured out in a situation...seeing as how he was rather paranoid about certain things. Trusting that someone wasn't playing you just because they could was rather difficult for a man like him.

"A couple days, then." The tone behind the words was rather neutral. F'lix was withdrawing. He wasn't sure what he thought about that, other than he didn't much like being teased without any follow through. Catch and release. Yes, the ex-Fortian was feeling just a bit like a fish yanked out of water, then tossed back...only they'd missed the water and there he was flopping around on the bank, not sure as to what to do.

Nor did the younger man's next actions clear that up any for him. F'lix's touch had him motionless, though not stiff, F'ur's head dipping as if he was trying to see what was going on under his shirt. A light tick pulsed against his jaw, the irritation matching that of the emotion in the eyes that remained hidden. Of course, it probably wouldn't be difficult for him to make the other put out, most likely without getting even remotely violent. F'ur wasn't bad at all at seduction when he put his mind to it. But that didn't appeal to him. He wasn't out to get something he already had. If F'lix wanted to play that game.

Twitching slightly at the breath on his neck, a growl of mixed appreciation and annoyance escaped him. He did not approve of being toyed with in the slightest. (Possibly because he usually only toyed with people when there wasn't a particularly nice agenda in mind. Paranoid a little? Definitely.) Oh, yes. Talk about changing as you run off, little kitten. Trying to escape him? Silly F'lix...F'ur would let him patter off and never return, if that was what he desired. Okay, probably more than just a little irritated.

Stubborn though, he was, much as he wanted to just react with an 'off with you, I don't care.' He twisted around on the rock, his left arm coiling around F'lix's left side, crossing his chest in front and settling on his opposite bicep. F'ur pulled F'lix back into him, his other arm crossing in low from F'lix's right hip, over his own arm and clamping onto the left shoulder. Taller kneeling on the rock that he normally was, he arched his back, bringing his mouth by the kitten's ear. "Tease."

F'ur pressed himself against the younger man in a motion that doubled as a faint warning, vaguely suggestive of violence. Where his single word had sounded almost amused, the action itself was decidedly darker. F'ur did not like being toyed with unless it was actually leading somewhere. He was about as pleased at being left uncomfortably hanging as the next man. Clearly F'lix thought he had power over him, now. Well, maybe he should remember where his place was.

Definitely irritated.

F'lix was F'ur's. His teeth closed on the younger man's neck, sucking strongly enough to leave a mark. He nuzzled it afterwards, fairly purring with pleasure. His, his. F'ur was not F'lix's and he'd do well to remember that - at least, unless he gave himself to the kitten. Like with the skin carving. And allowing himself to be touched, teased...Where had he been going with that? Annoyed anew, he nipped at F'lix's lobe, sharp enough to draw blood.

"I've my own things to take care of." Including the state the little minx had put him in, which was not even remotely pleasing. His voice rasped low against F'lix's ear. "When you're ready-" to make good on the promises his actions gave. "You know where to find me." Because he wasn't sticking around to be toyed with any longer. It would just make him angry, rather than simply annoyed.

F'ur released the other bluerider, slipping off the rock to one side of F'lix and walking towards Inocenth, who was watching with faint amusement. And not some small amount of disapproval, as well. The older man's pace wasn't quick - he half-wished F'lix would stop him, though he knew the kitten wouldn't.