Ranger-Captain Moriurya Brightsinger

Pineapple & Coconut

A smile.

We smiled at each other, his presence turning my attention away from the dullness of watching not-quite-couples dancing. It was so nice to see his smile then, so wonderful to know he was at least as happy to see me as I was to see him. The club suddenly did not matter to me. I realized right then that I only came to the establishment in hopes of seeing him.

Perhaps he had thought the same thing because, not long after our short interaction, he invited me to fly with him. I welcomed it gladly, wanting to get away from the uncomfortable feeling I get whenever there are people happily flirting with each other. I had almost finished my glass of fizzy wine, but that wasn’t a problem; I didn’t even say goodbye to any of the people at Second Chances, just departed with Gil, smiling.

A touch.

We playfully nudged each other, laughing as we chatted with each other as any good friends would, fruity beverages in hand. He had stripped off his shirt and even convinced himself that his pants should not get ruined by the humidity of the sauna. My blush was ever present as I thought of him in his undershorts, the blush growing stronger when I reminded myself that I would have to strip down too. My body wrappings, generally used under my battle armor, were still on, but those wrappings were not really clothing. Still, no harm in enjoying a sauna.

Perhaps I drank too much, perhaps he was drinking more, but I had leaned against him comfortably and he had rested his hand upon mine. The conversation had shifted, moved rather fluidly from talking about work to talking about home life, then talking about each other. My mind continued to remember that he was married in the human tradition, that he was loyal to his wife and his daughter, but we still exchanged longing looks time and again.

A word.

One moment we are sitting in the sauna, next we are in some sort of private suite looking over the gold-course. If I would have been sober I would have thought about all the wild parties my ex-coworkers most likely had here, but I wasn’t thinking about anything but Gil. He was running his hand through my hair, his other hand on my bare back as he held me close. His voice was almost sad, his eyes betraying the longing he held within.

“I don’t want you to think you’re not welcome; you are. Its … complicated. And I’m sorry, so sorry. I can’t tell you how sorry I am for putting you in this situation–”

“Don’t. Just stop. Do not apologize to me for this. It takes two to do this dance.”

“If you can just forget all my wishes, all of them. Not for my wife, not for me, but for you. I mean, say my wife was to get up and leave me? What would I have to offer you? You’re high enough in the Farstriders, dallying with a bastard half-elf who was exiled from the Kingdom you swore to protect, that’s just going to drag you down.”

His lips touched my forehead at my bangs and my whole body almost melted. The very things he brought up made me turn my hands so the palms were not directly upon his chest, suddenly aware of what his situation could do to me. but at that moment I shook my head and sighed.

“I don’t want to have to think about all that, Gil. It won’t happen; your wife will never leave you so I will never be pulled down because of my love for you.”

He was at a loss for words, just as I was. I could not believe the begging that was in my voice, the longing to be in his arms as he had pulled away from me, or the words I had just said. He asked me what I had meant, what my words were saying, but I was getting dizzy from all the drink I had. So he asked me what my heart was saying - to which I realized just how hard it was beating and how much it ached. I looked to him and smiled softly, confirming what I had said in disbelief. His look was so mixed, confused. He seemed happy, but there was obvious depth in his thoughts.

A kiss.

I was held tightly, his words lost but the meaning quite clear in my mind. The pause in his voice before he said the word I had said, directing it toward me in a way that made my heart jump and my mouth smile in disbelief. He picked me up, carried me into the suite, and set me on the bed. Everything moved so fast, but I think he realized the fear of what might happen, so he climbed onto the bed and held me again. His hand moved along the side of my body, rough against my smooth skin. We were both smiling, laughing even, more than we had in ages. He said something, I forgot the words, and then his lips were against mine and mine were against his.

We talked about his wishes, of what could happen. Of the distance between his wife and himself. I felt sad for him, sorry even, but he assured me it was not my fault.

An Interruption.

“Would you be with me?”

“Isardeth …”

“Isardeth?”

“He, he was my Commanding Officer.”

“Sounds like he is more than that.”

“I guess you could say he was my boyfriend. I mean, there were a few times where we slept in each other’s arms, and a few rather serious kisses. He might think of us as a couple.”

The communicator, bundled up with the dress I had been wearing, sounded off in static where Gil had set down the clothing. Gil ignored it, continuing to have his full focus on me, but I could not ignore a private message being sent my way. I climbed out of Gil’s arms and quickly moved to pick up the communicator and bring the earpiece to my ear so the message could replay. Gil followed me, slipping an arm around me.

“… I will be stationed in the Darkened Wood to aid with the defense against the Trolls. I will be glad to see you again.”

Isardeth’s voice.

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(( This story was originally posted in 2012 when Moriurya and her current husband first started dating. I am posting it here in an effort of collecting all her stories in one place again.))

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