Been Hoping for a Chance

Writers: Miriah
Date Posted: 5th April 2019

Characters: Gelira, Sezian
Description: Gelira and Sezian discuss plans and end up taking action on their affections
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 10, day 13 of Turn 9

It was nice to have time to spend with Gelzan this evening. His
grandparents had seemed happy to have a break from the rambunctious 2
Turn year old boy.

"Come on little buddy, let's get some snacks out," she said, reaching
down to pick up her son. He immediately began to squirm in her arms to
try and reach for the items on the counter. Before she could stop him,
he'd knocked the tray to the ground with a large clatter. That's the
reason she didn't hear the sound at their door at first.

Hearing the crash, Sezian opened the door quickly and hurried in, then
stopped as he saw the sprawling mess on the floor. A knowing smile
grew on his mouth at the sight. Gelzan had struck again; the little
boy was already known for his rambunctiousness and his ability to
completely dismantle a room only moments after entry.

Before he spoke up, his eyes turned to Gelira and softened. The past
two turns had been a blend of grief, friendship, learning how to
parent, and the growing of a secret desire that he tried to keep
buried. He wasn't always successful, but at least she knew nothing
about it; her affection for his brother was obvious and Sezian knew
that he couldn't ever compete with Z'an's memory.

He pushed those thoughts aside and hurried forward, bending to begin
picking up the floor. "Looks like you've got your hands full."

She glanced up at his entry and her eyes filled with a hint of joy and
happiness at his arrival.

"Oh Sezian, you came at _just_ the right moment. Little Gelzan struck
again," her hands sprawled to encompass the mess, which the toddler
was happily splashing his hands into and making an even _bigger_ mess.
"Gelzan, stop, you're making it worse!" She reached for the boy, only
to have him wipe the sticky residue of the snacks across her face, her
hair and her clothes before he threw his arms around her neck, jumped
into her and knocked her to the floor.

"Mama. Mess," the little boy giggled, rubbing his sticky hands all
through her long hair. Falling on her rump, Gelira grabbed the boy,
trying to peel him off before giving up knowing it was a losing
battle. "Looks like we _both_ need a bath now," she chuckled.

Laughing, Sezian grabbed a towel and the waste basket. "I'll get it.
He does the same thing at my parent's and at my place. I'm used to
it." He crouched, picking up the mess and wiping with a damp cloth.
"Go ahead and get cleaned up. Don't worry about this." He pried a
sticky hand out of Gelira's hair and tried pull strands gently out of
a small palm. "Jays, boy, you have made a mess. It's going to take a
lot of sweetsand to get all that out of your hair. You may want to
keep your hair pulled back with him around."

"Come on little buddy," Gelira said, pushing herself up from the floor
and trying to scoop up the boy.

"No, Seez," he called (his nickname for his uncle), reaching out with
his sticky hands for his uncle. "Seez give bath." Gelira tried to
reach for him again, but the boy swatted at her hand. "No, mama. I
want Seezy." The boy was pawing at his uncle and doing everything to
avoid his mother.

Gelira sighed, her hands on her hips, "You are not making this easy
young man. Come on. Let's get cleaned up and then maybe _Seezy_" she
grinned at the little boy's nickname, "will play you a song."

"Don't smack at your mother, Gelzan. It's not nice." Sezian's voice
was gentle, but firm. He glanced at Gelira, scooped up the boy and
holding both the stick hands and body away, handed him to his mother.
"Mama is bathing you today. Not me." He looked down and then sighed at
his own trousers, now covered in sticky muck. "It never fails."

The nickname didn't phase him; he was used to it, but Gelira's teasing
grin stirred a warmth in him. "Go ahead. Laugh. I've been called
worse." He gave a grin of his own and winked, trying to brush at his
trousers. "Looks like we're all going to need a bath. And clean
clothes."

His words brought a quick blush to her cheeks. She didn't dare to say
it, but the thought of all of them bathing together left her feeling
hot and bothered. She recalled another special bathtime. Her eyes
flickered to Sezian and she saw Z'an there once again. She almost
couldn't breathe as memories flooded her.

Quickly, she scooped up the wriggling toddler and turned to whisk him
away. "Let me just wash him off as best as I can here at the basin. We
can worry about a full bath later," she wondered if the feelings of
desire she felt were evident in the slight quiver of her voice. She
was used to bathing with all in the bathing chambers, but the thought
of bathing with _Sezian_ left her feeling hot and bothered all over.

As she washed Gelzan up with the water on hand, keeping her back to
him while she tried to regain her cool, Gelira called out, "Have you
heard that they are trying to find a solution for the River Bluff
area? I mean, I'm not sure what they have in mind, but they need
another Weyr there. It's simply too much land for one Weyr to have to
cover."

He had seen the blush and felt a surge of disappointment; it had taken
him some time to become accustomed to the Weyr's bathing chambers, but
he finally had. He had hoped that...well, perhaps it was for the best.
He could understand it, but he didn't have to like it. He might play
at being Gelzan's parent, but he wasn't his father and he had no
reason to expect anything more than friendship from Gerlira.

"I'd heard from Harper Hall, yes." He sat down at the table, watching
her as she bathed Gelzan. "It really is and from I've heard from other
riders, it's driving some to exhaustion trying to cover so much room,
even with the extra wing."

"Well, Gelzan is clean," Gelira replied, lifting a wad of her own
sticky hair up for inspection. "There is _no_ way this is coming clean
without a visit to the bathing chambers soon," she added with a sigh. She
felt her heart beat quicken at the thought. She moved over with Gelzan
to the table and sat the boy in Sezian's lap with ease.

"I _had_ made some snacks for tonight, but," she gestured to the mess
on the floor. "That didn't turn out so well."

Sezian looked at the mess and then looked back up at Gelira. "Well,
why don't you go take a bath and I'll get this mess cleaned up. I can
watch Gel for you until you get back." His brow furrowed. "You're not
too overtaxed by the extra Falls, are you?"

She beamed a happy smile towards Sezian. "Thanks, that would be
lovely!" She got up and started to gather some of her bathing items
and towel. Turning, she leaned on one of the counters and considered
his question.

"It _is_ trying. There's so much more land to cover and protect. I'm
thankful for the short breaks we get, but honestly some times all I
can manage is to come home, pull off my gear and fall asleep." She
knew he and his parents understood as she hadn't been able to spend as
much time with Gelzan these days.

"I'm looking forward to them putting together the new Weyr. We
_really_ need it. I'm thinking I'll take the transfer there when the
time comes. River Bluff had been my home before I came here." She
swung the towel up over her shoulder, preparing to head down to the
baths. "Thanks for watching Gelzan. I won't be long. I don't want to
waste one of my _only_ free evenings I've had to spend with him."
Before Sezian had a chance to react, Gelira was out the door and on
her way to the bathing chambers.

Sezian watched Gerlira leave with a stricken expression. Leave? He and
his family were settled and happy with caring for Gelzan and their new
positions. He didn't know if his parents would want to uproot again.
He looked down at the boy in his lap and hugged him. Gelzan was like
his own and he had helped foster the boy just as much as his parents.
His nephew was his last link with his brother. He looked up at the
door again while he bounced Gelzan on his knee. What could convince
her to stay?

It didn't take her long. With wet hair draped over her shoulder,
Gelira bounded back into the room.

"Now _that_ was refreshing. Thanks Sezian." She said as she patted at
her hair with her towel a bit more.

He looked at her and felt his heart seize again. "I don't want you to
go to a new Weyr."

She paused, turned, and looked at him more closely as she said her
next words slowly. "I was hoping you'd come with me if I went." She
wanted to say more, but wasn't sure how to tell him her feelings for
him had grown so much over these past Turns.

He just looked at her for a moment, hope flaring for a moment only to
quickly fizzle with reality. Of course. She'd still need help with
Gelzan. He looked down at his nephew and hugged him; he couldn't bear
the thought of not seeing the boy every day. Or Gelira. What choice
did he have? "Of course I'd go. Can't change his life too much, now
can we?"

She breathed a sigh of relief to hear he would come if she went. "Do
you think your parents would come too? I haven't mentioned any of this
to them yet. I can't raise Gelzan on my own," she smiled down at her
son, then turned her eyes to the man holding him. There was a spark of
something more in the look she sent his way.

"I don't know. They're pretty happy here and they're not getting any
younger. " He looked up at her just to see that spark. Was she
thinking of Z'an, again? "But..I could foster him. Myself. If you
want. "

She frowned. She had thought that Felian and Zisloh might not want to
start over again, but she would still ask them when she made up her
mind.

Gelira moved over closer to Sezian, she slid into the chair opposite
him. "You'd have to give up most of your time to foster him without
your parents. I mean, unless, we...well," oh shaffit, how could she
say what she was thinking. "could do it together. Like together,
together." Gelira wanted to groan. She was tumbling over her words so
much she sounded like a fool. She blushed a bit at what she was trying
to say.

"I don't mind. " He could do no less for Gelzan and he knew that of
the situation had been reversed...his thoughts ceased immediately as
she sat and made her own suggestion. Was she saying what he thought
she was? He didn't want to assume, but hope once again flared and
revealed itself in his eyes. He swallowed hard and spoke with no
little hesitation. "Do you mean just share a weyr together and Gelzan
or..." He paused, hoping that he wasn't assuming, "being together as a
family? I..." He studied her face. "I'm not Z'an and I know you really
cared for him. But I've been hoping that you'd see as someone more
than just Gelzan's uncle, or Z'an's brother.. I've been hoping that
you'd give me a chance to be more. Is that what you're saying?"

She let out the breath she hadn't know she was holding. "Oh Sezian,
I'd like that very much. I mean, I know, we haven't, really," she took
a moment and collected herself. **Get a grip, Gelira, you don't need
to be nervous,** she chided herself. "What I mean is, yes, Sezian. I'd
like us to try, you know. Being a family, if you want it too."

The dark eyes immediately softened and the tension he didn't even
realize had set in his shoulders eased. "Gelzan, go play for just a
minute." He set the little boy down and stood, stepping to take
Gelira's hands in his and draw her upward to stand. He cupped her
cheeks in his hands, bent, hesitated for just a moment, then lightly
brushed his lips against hers. The light kiss wasn't enough, so he
pressed a bit more, parting her lips with a sigh.

She easily melted into his arms with a sigh. They had danced around
each other these past few Turns. Now, things felt so right in his
arms.

When the kiss ended, she whispered with a twinkle in her eyes, "I
wonder if your parents would be willing to watch Gelzan for the rest
of the night."

The thought of what could happen tonight if they could...Sezian bit
back a groan at the thought; his body was already openly supporting
the idea and he had to make an effort not to pull her closer.
"Faranth, I'll beg them to if I have to." His hand slid down her back
and he delighted in the fact that he was able to touch her without
worrying. "I've thought about that for..." He exhaled. "..a long
time."

"Oh, Sezian," she murmured as her body reacted to every single touch
of his fingers against her clothing. She wanted him. She had wanted
him for some time, and now that she'd accepted that fact it would be
easy to allow herself to follow up on those hidden desires.

Last updated on the April 16th 2019

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Been Hoping for a Chance