The First Test

Writers: Devin, Heather
Date Posted: 17th February 2014

Characters: Paetri, J'kri
Description: Paetri surprises J'kri but it doesn't quite go according to plan
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 5, day 14 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Harki, Rorela

~*~
Sweet Faranth, they were insane. She couldn't do this. It was crazy!
Paetri gripped her unbound hair with one trembling hand, the book in
the other. Whyhad she ever agreed to this crazy plan? She looked down
at herself and swallowed, crossing her arms over her chest and pacing
in the weyr. She talked to herself, the pale sheer nightgown swishing
against her legs as she moved. "I should just go now. He'll never know
I was here. Harki and Rorela are crazy. This is a stupid idea. He's
going to hate it. What kind of person am I? Look at me? I'm half
naked!" She fanned herself with the book and glanced around. "J'kri,
why couldn't you have locked your weyr? Then I could be in my own and
not in here and Camilth wouldn't be sleeping with Cerilith and me not
stuck here and it's shaffing cold! They didn't leave me a robe and
you'll be able to see everything!"

Paetri's soft footsteps grew a little faster. "I don't know what I was
thinking. I should have just said no." Her heart fluttered in her
chest. "I can't just spring this on you. You'll hate it and..."
Footsteps outside the door made her pause and she squeaked in dismay,
diving behind a wall and trying to find a way to cover herself over
the sheer gown.

J'kri stepped in and closed the door. Looking around, he admired his
weyr. It was still a novelty to have a place of his own. A little
flash of movement caught his attention. "Hello?" had a drudge come in
to clean?

There was a soft peep from around the wall and Paetri covered up her
face. **Oh sweet Faranth! What am I supposed to do!?** She took a deep
breath. There was no escape and surely he wouldn't laugh at her. She
was going to _kill_ Harki and Rorela for this! She took several long
deep breaths and mustered up her courage to face him. **Forget about
the gown. Just forget about it. You can do this. You have to do
this.** Licking her lips, she tugged her hair over her shoulders,
hiding what the sheer gown so blatantly showed and clutched the book
to her chest. She stepped out from around the corner of the wall, saw
J'kri and froze, mind going blank.

"Paetri? What... what are you _wearing_?" He stared at her. Not
shocked at the sheer clothing, but that it was _Paetri_ in such an
outfit.

Her eyes were still large and she stood completely still hands
clutched around the book until her knuckles whitened. Her mouth dry,
she opened her mouth and nothing but a soft squeak came out when she
tried to form words to answer his question. As realization came that
he was just as surprised, a red stain flushed her cheeks and she
slowly looked down at herself. Though her hair hid what should have
been prominently displayed, and she was wearing the pretty
underthings that barely covered her underneath the gown, there was
little left to the imagination otherwise. Rorela had said she looked
'sexy'. She looked back up at J'kri, swallowed and suddenly words
burst forth in a nervous tangle. "It was Rorela and Harki's idea, they
thought that you would like the gown and they gave me this book to
show you and gave me some wine and I knew it wouldn't be a good idea,
but they think that you're my boyfriend and so I should stop being
nervous and get things over with before the flight, so I came up here
and I was supposed to surprise you and I guess I did, but here's the
book so you can look at it..." She held out the book shoving it at
him.

J'kri took the book, but his eyes stayed on her. "Um, what?" She
talked so fast it took a moment to sort the words out. "Are you trying
to seduce me?"

Her blush heightened and her mouth opened and closed as she shifted
from foot to foot. "Uh..I..uhm.." She crossed her arms over her chest
and her toes curled against the bare floor. Her voice picked up an
octave. "Uh..yes?"

J'kri frowned. "What happened to needing time? If you were ready, you
could have just asked me. You don't need all this." He waved to
indicate her clothing and finally glanced down at the book. His
eyebrows rose when he saw the image on the cover.

Now fully embarrassed, she lowered her gaze. This was not going as
well as Harki and Rorela said it would. "I'm sorry..." Her hands
tugged at the sheer gown, trying to pull it down closer to her knees,
but it was several inches above her knees and barely stretched. She
knew he would hate it! She chewed on her bottom lip and looked up at
him through her lashes. "I can go. I'll just call Camilth, I just
thought...I just..I wanted to surprise you.."

"I appreciate the surprise, but it's so unlike you. Don't you
understand that ..." He watched her squirm and held up a finger. "Stay
right there." He set the book down on a table and went to his sleeping
room. He came back out with a blanket and wrapped it around Paetri's
shoulders. "There. Are you more comfortable now?"

Now she really didn't understand. As he wrapped her in a blanket, she
looked at him, completely confused. "It's warmer..." She tugged the
blanket around herself and sucked on her lower lip. "Don't you want to
see me, uhm..naked? I thought you did. Am...am I not pretty enough?"

It was like she'd turned back into Candidate Paetri. He took a breath,
wondering how to explain it. "Paetri, you don't have to impress me or
surprise me or seduce me or anything. I want you, I've wanted you
since before we Impressed. But this isn't about me. This is about
_you_. I've done this before."

She looked at him for a long moment, digesting everything he was
saying as she chewed on her lower lip. She had been so worried about
what he might think that she hadn't really contemplated anything else.
That he was thinking more of her than himself made her eyes soften. "I
think I understand." She took a step forward and laid a hand on his
cheek. "Thank you." She stood a little straighter and pressed her
mouth to his.

J'kri kept it soft and slow, one arm wrapping around her waist. He'd
been with others since the ban was lifted, doing things that might
make Paetri faint if she knew. Kissing her was a special kind of
sweetness. "Do you want to talk about how things work?" he asked
softly. "Would understanding make it easier for you?"

She sighed against him, relaxing as the comfort of his embrace settled
her nerves. Large dark eyes stared up at him and she nodded slowly.
"Yes." She stayed pressed against him, but looked over her shoulder at
the book she had been given. "Is it like what's in there?"

"Ummm... judging from the cover, I'd say ... sometimes." He laughed
and guided her toward the couch. Picking up the book, he said, "Let's
see how crazy things get." He'd seen a book like this before and some
of the positions required a lot of flexibility.

She settled on the couch, curling her feet under her until she was
completely under the warmth of the blanket. She gave a little
embarrassed smile. "I kinda already looked all the way through it."
She tugged the blanket around her and a little giggle burst out of
her. "I was curious."

His eyebrows went up. "Who are you and what have you done with Paetri?"

She shifted a little in her blanket and held it up to her face,
embarrassed. She peeked out and eyed him. "I couldn't help it! "
Paetri eyed the book from over the blanket. "It was there and I
looked. Harki and Rorela got it for me. I was just kinda wondering
what it looked like. My mother never really um.... told me much other
than it hurt a lot and it was horrible."

"That doesn't say much for your father," J'kri muttered. Unless her
mother was just trying to scare her. He opened the book and studied
the first image. It was reasonable, if a bit exaggerated. "I've done
that."

She twitched an eyebrow up at his comment. She really didn't want to
think of what her parents did in private. "My sister agreed with her
and she's wed. But..."There was a long pause,"most people here that
I've talked to said they're wrong." She looked down at the picture
and then her gaze shot back up to him. "You have? That can actually
happen?" She looked back down at the picture and blinked slowly,
trying to picture him doing _that_ and only managing to get flustered
at the thought. But curiosity suddenly surged and she tilted her head.
"You were actually able to get her legs to do that?" Her cheeks warmed
and she cleared her throat.

"Well, not exactly. This picture... it's sort of an artistic
interpretation." He laughed. "I think these are supposed to be a
little funny." He turned the page and laughed again. "Now, _that_
looks like it belongs on a runner." He pointed at an oversized bit of
anatomy.

At that, she giggled, relaxing more as he laughed. "She's not any
better you know. Anyone with a waist that size and a chest like that
would never be able to walk straight. She'd be bent over." She pushed
her hair from her face and then glanced sidelong at him. " So...you
don't look like that?"

"Shells no! That's setting you up for disappointment."

"Oh." That could only leave her wondering what he _did_ look like. The
direction her thoughts went made her flush. She shouldn't have had
that glass of wine...it was getting a bit warm. She shifted under the
blanket before tucking her hair behind her ear. "But it _does_ happen
that way. "

"You mean how it's sticking out like that? Yeah." He wanted her to
feel comfortable, but he also couldn't help a little teasing. Leaning
close to her ear, he said, "When you're ready, you can study me all
you want."

Instead of blushing, Paetri visibly quivered and though her face
flushed, it wasn't entirely due to embarrassment. The blanket slid off
of one of her shoulders, but as warm as she was, she didn't lift it
back up, leaving her shoulder bare. "And....you'll study me?" Her
voice was soft.

He trailed a finger along her bare shoulder. "If you'll let me." His
heart beat fast. All the long months he'd closed off his feelings...
but he couldn't rush.

There was a quick intake of breath, a shiver and Paetri licked her
lower lip before swallowing, her eyes never leaving his face. The book
in his hands was forgotten. Her voice was a whisper as she reached to
touch his face, her fingers tracing his cheek. "I..I trust you. I'd
let you."

He leaned close and kissed her. Slow, like before, but now there was
an edge to it.

The kiss was different than any he had given her before and she gasped
against his mouth, but didn't pull away. Instead, she pressed closer
to his mouth, instinctively lifting a hand to curl at the nape of his
neck. Her heart began to thump in her chest and she pulled away, just
enough to speak softly against his lips. "Do you really not like the
gown?"

"I was just surprised to see you wearing something like that." His
mouth curved in a slow smile. "Can I get another look?"

She had said she trusted him. Licking her lip slowly, she took a deep
breath and slowly stood, leaving the blanket on the couch. There was a
trembling in her stomach and chest, mostly nerves but also of
excitement. Cheeks flushed, she pushed her hair back behind her
shoulders and stood straight in front of him. Her hands quivered with
the instinctive need to cover herself, but she kept them at her side.
Instead, she looked down at J'kri, uncertain as to what he would do
next.

He watched her with dark eyes. "You're beautiful." She didn't need to
dress like this for him, but she _had_. The sheer fabric that did
nothing to hide her body was meant for his enjoyment. Heat rushed
through him. She wouldn't have to wait long to compare him to the
pictures in the book.

When G'wen had told her that, she hadn't really believed him, despite
the mirror. When Rorela and Harki had told she was gorgeous, she had
been sure they were just being nice. But here, with J'kri staring at
her, she finally believed it. Her eyes softened and a surge of pride
and confidence swept through her. Her hand slowly lifted to touch his
face and she took a deep breath. "I..I want you to show me, J'kri.
Everything. I'm ready. I don't want to be afraid of it anymore."
Steeling her courage, she bent to take his hand and lifted it, placing
it on her waist; she wasn't quite brave enough to put it higher.
"Please?"

He stepped back, but only to pull off his shirt. "I feel overdressed."
He flashed a smile before turning serious again. To have her
willingness, her trust... he knew how much that meant. J'kri put his
hand back on her waist, fingers sliding up and over until he cupped
her breast. Gently, he brushed his thumb over her nipple.

It wasn't as though she hadn't seen him with his shirt off before, but
now it was far more intimate. She went still as his hand slid upward,
dark eyes widening as he touched her for the first time. A bolt of
surprised pleasure shook her and she gasped softly, eyes half closing.
That simple touch felt good...better than she expected and she
shivered. She lifted her hands, but didn't know what to do with them.
They fell lightly on his chest. "J'kri...what do I do?"

"Whatever feels good." His thumb circled. "Kiss me, touch me..." His
voice dropped. "Undress me."

What if she didn't do it right? But the way he was touching her felt
wonderful. A slow curl of unfamiliar desire swelled in her and she
pressed her breast into his hand, eager for more of those touches.
This didn't hurt at all! Shy, but wanting to learn, she slid her hands
over his chest, exploring his skin. At his suggestion, her eyes flew
to his. He wanted her to...Her eyes fell to his pants and she
hesitated, her fingers stilling over his abdomen. Taking a shaking
breath, she stepped forward and pressed a kiss to his chest, and then
another. They were soft and inexperienced, but also growing more
eager. Her hands dropped to his belt, paused and then fumbling,
unbuckled the belt.

"Paetri," he groaned. J'kri was glad he'd been with others since the
ban was lifted. This was hard enough without having all that pent-up
lust.

Hands on his belts stilled and her breath came in short bursts as she
looked up. Her fingers traced over his abdomen and she swallowed. With
all of her courage, she took a step closer to him, lifted one hand to
pull his head to hers and sealed his lips to hers in an eager kiss.
She didn't know if what she was doing was right, but she knew that she
wanted him to touch her more and she wanted to touch him. Her free
hand slid down to the waist band of his pants and paused just a moment
before she gave a little tug.

He dug the fingers of one hand into her hair, his tongue sliding into
her mouth. His other hand moved down to cup her rear. For a moment he
considered pressing against her, but she'd wanted to see him. "Take a
look." Even saying the words made him burn hotter.

Her eyes widened as his tongue..sweet Faranth, he'd never done _that_
before...they fluttered closed and as his hand closed over her bottom,
she couldn't have stopped the soft moan that was captured by his
mouth. It didn't feel wrong at all and that touch caused a burning
ache that she'd never experienced before. What was he doing to her?
What ever it was...she liked it. His mouth pulled away and she tried
to capture it back with a whimper but his words made her clutch at
his shoulder.

Look at him...could she? Should she? She looked at his face, and then
slowly slid her gaze downward, stopping with a gasp. Her eyes widened
as she stared at him. He wasn't like the pictures, but it was one
thing to see a man like that on paper and quite another to see that up
close. Up very close. And then she realized something. She her gaze
shot back up to J'kri and the words blurted out. "It's not going to
fit."

J'kri bit his lip to hold back a laugh. So much for feeling inadequate
after those pictures. "It will, I promise. Our bodies are meant to fit
together." He took a moment to slip out of his boots, leaving them and
his pants on the floor. "Come on." He tugged her gently toward his
sleeping room.

Paetri really had her doubts about that. It looked, to her at least,
more than a little imposing. The thought of _that_ pushing in _there_
made her stomach tighten. It was going to hurt. Really hurt. She had a
moment of doubt, then looked up at J'kri's face and nodded, following.
Everything else he had done had felt good so far. Maybe it wouldn't be
too bad. "Okay..." She stepped into the sleeping room and stared at
the bed.

"It'll be fine." He brushed her hair aside to kiss along her neck and
shoulder. Then he bent to tug at the hem of the gown, lifting it up
her body. She was practically naked in it, but he wanted to touch her
skin without anything in the way.

The kisses distracted her from the bed; she hadn't known her neck
would be so sensitive to touch, but every placement of his lips made
her breath catch. As the gown slid upwards and off of her, she
instinctively sought to cover herself. The gown may have been sheer,
but the touch of it had left her with some barrier other than just
bare skin. And then she looked at J'kri, saw his face and relaxed,
letting her arms fall. He wouldn't hurt her, not on purpose. **He
thinks you're beautiful.** There was absolute trust in her eyes as she
stared at his face. "I'm ready."

Last updated on the March 15th 2014

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The First Test