The Juggernaut had been walking around without his mask for the last weeks but he immediately put it on when he heard other voices beside Alleria's in front of his home. It was an automatic act, born out of year-long drill and training.
Before Alleria could knock, Yurnero stepped out of the tent. The three, Alleria with her two boyfriends, had arrived with two raptors, the Bounty Hunter probably having ridden with one of the two humans. Since he could go invisible, he wouldn't want someone to know where he was through there being a third, seemingly riderless, raptor.
The female smiled widely and hugged him and even the Dragon Knight shook his hand while he held his helmet in the other. The Bounty Hunter remained invisible until Alleria rolled her eyes. "Gondar, come on, you can check the surroundings after you said hallo." He appeared in front of the Juggernaut and held his hand out, too. "Hey," he mumbled. "Nice to meet you again."
Yurnero could hear how he didn't think it was nice at all but was polite enough to say it anyway. "Thanks. Nice to meet you again. You still sticking with these two? Not that I have anything against Alleria, but the Dragon Knight? Really?" At the Hunter's irritated look he laughed. "It was a joke." The creature clearly didn't get his jokes at all.
He turned towards Alleria, the only one of the three he cared about but he saw how the eyes of the Bounty Hunter narrowed. It seemed he didn't appreciate his jokes at all. Not his problem.
Simply to anger the Dragon Knight, Yurnero took Alleria's hand. "Come inside. You want something to drink?" He ignored the other two though he'd bring them something as well. He was civil, after all. They could come in, too, but the Bounty Hunter would probably not want to. And the Dragon Knight was surely glad if he didn't have to look at the Juggernaut the whole time. And didn't have to watch him and Alleria talking.
The Lord of Avernus came out of the room he was sleeping in, fully clothed, including cloves and cape. "Lord of Avernus! Well, hello," Alleria chirped. Abaddon looked at her but didn't react otherwise before he left the tent. Yurnero could hear the Dragon Knight greeting the Lord, too, but he got no response, either. The Bounty Hunter was probably already invisible and scouting the steppes around the Juggernaut's home.
"So, you two sit next to each other the whole day in silence. I can totally see how much fun you have." Her tone was dry and Yurnero laughed.
"Almost. We don't always sit around, though."
Alleria's eyes widened. Had his tone been suggestive, hinting at something sexual? Yurnero frowned. He hadn't wanted that, she shouldn't think there was something going on between them. Because there wasn't. "I meant that we train and hunt together."
Her eyes widened even more, her lips twitching. "I didn't assume anything else."
Damn. His voice had sounded too defensive and she had heard it. Now she knew there was something. Even if there was nothing actually going on she knew that something bothered him and that it had to do with the Lord.
Double damn.
"You got a second bed?" She nodded at the one that stood in the living room.
"He's been staying here for quite a while. It was only reasonable."
She cast him a look from the side before sitting down in one of the arm chairs. "I'd like some water please. My boys, too."
When he finally sat down in the other armchair, she scooted closer and took his hand. "Are you alright? You seem to be awfully tense. Did something happen?"
"It's okay. How are you?" Her gaze said she didn't believe him one bit and wasn't in the least satisfied with his short answer. She let it slide for the moment but she'd probably come back to her question later. First she told him about herself and her two boyfriends. They seemed to be doing great and Alleria laughed a lot as she talked about this and that, what they did together, where they went and stuff. She was clearly happy. Yurnero smiled and listened and slowly relaxed. Until she focused on him again. "So, back to my first question: what is going on with you and the Lord of Avernus?"
He had known that he'd have to tell her. He growled softly. "It's fine, we are fine." But since she'd never let it drop just like that, her gaze too intent and focused, her eyes telling him she'd keep asking until he caved in, he continued with a sigh: "It's just, I had this dream last night and I can't stop thinking about it and it drives me crazy!"
Alleria didn't ask what kind of dream, he was sure she knew it. Yurnero slowed down and began talking about what had happened since they'd last seen each other. Once he had started, it was easy to tell her everything. How he'd found Abaddon in the desert where he had been searching for the Juggernaut. How they'd gone back to his home and he had stayed since then. How they spent their days and how nice it was. Then he told her how Abaddon had forgotten his hood one morning and how it had made Yurnero realize that he really loved the human. That he had told Abaddon that he loved him and how that conversation had gone. How everything had been fine afterwards until this damn morning. When he had woken up with a hard one and only had had pictures of Abaddon in his head.
"Crazy, I'll go crazy here. I was perfectly fine, it was okay that Abaddon didn't say he loved me. I never expected him to anyway, it was fine. But this, this'll drive me insane. I'll probably get turned on when we train the next time." He groaned and buried his face in his hands, suddenly annoyed that he was wearing his mask but not wanting to take it off in case one of Alleria's boyfriends barged in.
The female took his hands and pulled them away from his face. Then she sat down on his lap and cuddled closer against him, her body warm against his, giving as much comfort as she could. She stroked one hand up and down his back and one through his hair at the back of his head. Gratefully Yurnero buried his head in her shoulder and let her touch soothe him. "I'm sorry it is complicated like that." Her voice was soft as she spoke. "I really thought this, whatever is between you, that it would work out in the end. Rylai and I had a conversation about you and the Lord of Avernus, when we heard how he was searching for you. She said he never had a friend before and she also thought he's never been in a relationship, had never even had a sexual encounter as far as she'd heard. She doesn't even know if he is gay or not. She said maybe he is asexual or something like that. But she said he is nice, and unbelievably loyal when he chooses to be. And reliable." She kept stroking him. "Maybe you should ask him? Maybe you need him to say 'no' so you don't secretly hope?"
"I don't want him to say 'no'." The words were muffled against her skin.
"Of course you don't. But it doesn't seem as if he wants anything else from you than friendship. And since you want everything else, too, maybe a 'no' will help. Maybe it'll at least stop you from dreaming like that again. Because that seems to be a huge problem for you at the moment."
"I don't want your advice." It made him sad and left this empty feeling in his chest. Yurnero growled softly. It sounded all a little too hopeless for his taste. He had liked this teeny tiny bit of hope that was still there. Hope that, one day, since he hadn't said 'no', Abaddon might just love him back. If he asked him, this hope would be gone. He wasn't sure he wanted that.
"Okay. Want to cuddle some more?"
"Yes please." He tightened his arms around her body.
"Want me to talk some more?"
"Please."
So they stayed like that. Alleria comforting Yurnero as she petted him and talked about unimportant things. Told him stories about Rylai and some of the creatures he sometimes fought town wars with. Some schmooze and gossip.
Until the Dragon Knight entered. "Oh come on. You been doing that the last two hours? While we've been sitting outside on the hard and dirty ground in the unrelenting sun with no one caring about us?"
Yurnero could almost hear how Alleria rolled her eyes. "You can't imagine how much I pity you. Get back out, please. Take something to drink with you if you're thirsty."
"Can't we go home already?"
"Whiny." She sighed. "In an hour?"
"Perfect." With that he was gone again, without taking something to drink. Couldn't be that bad outside.
Briefly Yurnero wondered where Abaddon might be. He couldn't really see him sitting together with the Dragon Knight but he was sure the Lord would find something to occupy himself with.
"Anything else you want to talk about before I'm off again?"
"No, it's fine. And you don't have to make the two wait another hour. I'm okay." He loosened his hold on her, though he took one last deep breath. Wind and woods. He smiled. "Thanks for visiting." The female slipped from his lap and the orc stoop up, too. "I don't think I'll go anywhere the next weeks. You want to come again? You could visit without your two males and stay over-night?"
"Uh oh, you hitting on me?" Alleria looked at him with a fake-innocent face and batted her lashes.
It made the Juggernaut laugh. "Yeah, totally hitting on you. So what you say, honey," he leaned down and lowered his voice, "me, you, a fire, some fresh boar meat and a bottle of wine?" He wrapped a strand of her red hair around his finger and tugged her closer until they were chest to chest, their faces only inches apart.
The Dragon Knight chose exactly that moment to come in again. "I forgot the..." He stopped midsentence. "What do you think you are doing?"
Yurnero turned his head, not backing away from Alleria one bit, and wanted to say something to tease the Knight. Alleria was faster. She clamped one hand over his mouth (not that it had any effect on top of the mask) and laughed. "Don't. Whatever you want to say, please don't. He'll probably believe it and I'll be in even more trouble. You do want me to visit again, don't you?"
With one last tug on the strand around his finger, he stepped away from her. "Sad. I'm sure me hitting on you worked perfectly fine."
The Dragon Knight growled, his eyes screaming murder. Yurnero laughed and Alleria rolled her eyes. "I think it's time for us to leave." She got serious in a split second. "Write me if you need anything. I'll be here as fast as I can. Don't run off like last time, please."
"I won't. I promise I'll at least leave a message or something." He hugged her one last time before he pushed her carefully towards the seething Dragon Knight. "Now go, before he attacks me in my own home."
He followed them outside and when they were mounted he held his hand out to the Knight. "Don't worry, I'd never steel your female."
The Dragon Knight almost smiled as they clasped hands. "I know. See you around."
Behind him the Bounty Hunter turned visible and also held his hand out. He didn't say anything.
In a cloud of dust they disappeared through the steppes, Alleria waving one last time. Yurnero looked after them, definitely glad that she had visited. It always helped to talk with her though she normally didn't give him any advice on stuff. He must've seemed extremely desperate for her to do so. He didn't think he'd do what she had suggested but before he really went insane it was probably a good solution.
