Ash and Song Chapter Nine
In the quiet village of Grovehollow, a dragonborn warrior named Toryn is trying to learn what it means to stay.
Scarred from a life of battle and burdened by the belief that he is meant only for steel and solitude, Toryn never expects kindness—least of all from a soft-spoken human healer with golden hair and hands gentle enough to steady the fiercest flame. Cassius Ordo is shy, earnest, and quietly brave, tending wounds both seen and unseen. When he fusses over Toryn’s injuries with tender insistence, something long locked in the dragonborn’s chest begins to loosen.
--
“T- Toryn," Cassius stammered Still shy and very clearly overwhlmed. "I don’t- I mean, I- I've never-"
"Shh." Toryn's thumb brushed the curve of Cass's cheekbone. "I know."
He had suspected, of course. Cass's reactions to touch—the startled gasps, the trembling, the way he seemed to freeze whenever Toryn came close. The healer was inexperienced. Innocent. And the thought sent heat pooling low in Toryn's belly.
He's never been touched. Not like this. Not by someone who wants him.
The Dragonborn leaned in again, slower this time. Deliberate. His scaled lips brushed the corner of Cassius's mouth, then the swell of his lower lip, then the sensitive skin just below. Cass's breath hitched.
"Relax," Toryn murmured against his skin. "Let me."
Cassius nodded, his eyes falling closed. His body went pliant in Toryn's arms, surrendering completely.
The trust in that gesture hit Toryn like a physical blow. This man—this soft, gentle, beautiful man—was giving himself over completely. Despite everything Toryn was. Despite the scales and claws and endless capacity for violence.
He trusts me.
Toryn kissed him again, deeper this time. His tongue traced the seam of Cassius's lips, and the healer opened for him with a soft moan. The sound shot straight through Toryn's core, igniting every nerve ending.
Gods. He tastes like honey. Like summer.
The healer was melting beneath his hands now, tension had given way to trust and shy want and something wonderfully affectionate. Cass’s fingers still rested against Toryn’s chest, though now they curled faintly against the scales there whenever Toryn deepened the kiss even slightly.
Gods.
Toryn did not think he would ever recover from the way Cass responded to him.
Carefully, giving him every chance to pull away, Toryn tilted his head and let his mouth drift from Cass’s lips.
Down the curve of his jaw.
Cass inhaled sharply.
“T-Toryn…”
The Dragonborn paused immediately. “Too much?”
Cass shook his head so quickly droplets scattered from his damp hair.
“No,” he admitted in a tiny voice.
That soft honesty nearly unraveled Toryn completely.
Very gently now, he brushed another kiss beneath Cass’s ear.
Then lower.
Along the slender line of his throat.
Cass made the smallest sound.
A breathy, startled little noise that seemed to embarrass him the instant it escaped.
Toryn froze.
Then felt heat flood violently beneath his scales.
Gods above.
Cass hid his face instantly against Toryn’s shoulder with a mortified sound.
“I am so sorry.”
Toryn stared ahead into the trees, fighting for control of himself with the desperation of a man dangling from a cliff edge.
“…Don’t apologize for that,” he said hoarsely.
Cass made another muffled noise against him.
Which was somehow worse.
Or better.
Toryn genuinely could not tell anymore.
Carefully, reverently, he kissed Cass’s neck again.
The healer shivered in his arms.
Another tiny sound slipped out before Cass caught it.
Toryn’s tail tightened unconsciously around him.
Cass immediately buried his burning face fully against Toryn’s chest now.
“You cannot possibly know what you are doing to me,” Toryn muttered darkly toward the sky.
Cass laughed helplessly despite his embarrassment.
The sound was warm and breathless and fond.
And then Toryn noticed the slight tremor running through him.
He pulled back enough to look properly at Cass again.
The healer’s skin prickled faintly from the cool night air now that they had been standing wet in the river so long.
“You’re cold.”
“I’m alright.”
“You’re shivering.”
Cass opened his mouth to argue.
Another shiver betrayed him immediately.
Toryn snorted softly.
“Out,” he ordered gently.
Cass looked unfairly pleased by being fussed over.
Together they waded carefully back toward shore, water sliding slowly from skin and scales alike. Toryn stepped out first, then turned automatically and offered Cass his hand over the slick river stones.
Cass took it without hesitation.
The simple trust of it still struck Toryn every time.
They dressed in quiet, flustered silence beneath the moonlight.
Or rather—Cass attempted to dress.
Toryn was failing rather spectacularly at not staring.
Gods.
That was unfair.
He had imagined Cassius before—in shameful, desperate moments alone in his room at the inn. But those fantasies had been vague shapes, soft impressions of warmth and light. The reality was so much more. The slender curve of the human's waist. The fragile ridges of his shoulder blades. The way his skin, pale as moonlight, seemed to glow with the cold river water.
Elegant, Toryn thought.
Toryn looked away.
Then back again immediately.
Hopeless.
Cass caught him staring eventually.
His entire face turned scarlet.
“Toryn.”
“You’re so beautiful,” Toryn said automatically.
Cass nearly dropped his shirt.
The Dragonborn realized perhaps half a second too late that he had said that aloud.
Again.
Cass looked like he had completely forgotten how to function as a person.
“I—” He tried to gather the laces of his shirt collar and missed entirely. “You cannot simply keep saying things like that!”
“I can if they’re true.”
Cass made a strangled noise.
His fingers fumbled the laces again, tying them crookedly before accidentally pulling one entirely loose.
Toryn watched the increasingly disastrous attempt for another few seconds before stepping closer.
“Here.”
Cass looked up immediately, visibly flustered. “I can do it.”
“You are currently losing a fight against your own shirt.”
Cass looked deeply offended by how accurate that was.
Toryn gently took the laces from his hands.
Cass went very still.
The Dragonborn worked carefully, rough fingers surprisingly deft as he threaded and tied the collar properly. The proximity made concentration difficult.
Cass smelled like river water and lavender and moonbells.
Toryn could feel the healer watching him quietly the entire time.
“There,” Toryn murmured once the knot sat properly. “Done.”
But neither of them stepped away.
Cass’s hands hovered uncertainly near Toryn’s chest before finally settling lightly against him again.
“So,” Cass said softly after a moment, clearly attempting composure and failing. “You bought me flowers.”
Toryn huffed a quiet laugh.
“You are never going to let me survive that peacefully, are you?”
“Absolutely not.”
Toryn found he did not particularly mind being ruined.
-
The walk back to the cottage was painfully awkward.
Not bad.
Not uncomfortable.
Just full of too many feelings and not nearly enough composure between them.
Cass carried the moonbells carefully against his chest while Toryn walked beside him through the moonlit forest path, still damp from the river despite their clothes.
Neither seemed entirely certain where to look.
Every now and then their hands brushed accidentally while walking too close together.
Each time, Cass flushed bright pink.
Each time, Toryn immediately forgot how to function.
Gods.
He had kissed Cass.
Cass had kissed him back.
The realization kept striking him anew every few moments like repeated blows to the chest.
Beside him, Cass kept touching his own lips absentmindedly as though he still couldn’t quite believe it either.
Toryn noticed every single time.
Which helped absolutely nothing.
“You’re staring again,” Cass murmured eventually, though he sounded more shy than bothered.
Toryn looked forward immediately. “Apologies.”
Cass smiled softly into the flowers.
“You do not sound sorry.”
“…No.”
That earned him a quiet laugh.
The sound warmed the cold night air between them.
Without thinking, Cass reached for Toryn's hand.
The Dragonborn looked down in surprise.
Cass immediately looked nervous.
"Is that alright?"
Toryn stared at their joined hands for a moment.
Then gently closed his fingers around Cass's.
"Yes," he said quietly.
The healer's smile returned.
And together they walked home through the moonlit forest, neither of them letting go.
When the cottage finally came into view through the trees, Toryn felt an unexpected rush of relief. The night had grown colder while they walked, and Cass still shivered faintly every now and then despite insisting he was fine.
The healer pushed open the cottage door first.
The inside had cooled considerably in their absence.
“I’ll relight the hearth,” Toryn said automatically before Cass could move toward it himself.
Cass paused, watching him with that soft expression again.
“Alright.”
Toryn knelt before the stone hearth and rebuilt the fire with practiced efficiency. Soon warm orange light flickered back to life across the cottage walls, filling the small space with crackling warmth and the scent of burning cedar.
Behind him, Cass carefully placed the moonbells in a clay pitcher of water near the window.
Toryn found himself smiling faintly at the sight.
The flowers looked right there.
Like they belonged.
Like perhaps he did too.
Once the fire burned steadily, Toryn turned.
Cass stood nearby wringing water carefully from the ends of his long blonde hair. Damp strands clung stubbornly to his cheeks and neck.
“You’ll catch cold if you stay wet,” Toryn said.
“I’m trying.”
“You’re failing.”
Cass huffed softly. “You are very bossy tonight.”
“You are very determined to freeze.”
Before Cass could argue further, Toryn crossed the room and gently took the towel from his hands.
The healer blinked up at him.
“Toryn?”
“Sit.”
Cass eyed him suspiciously.
“You truly enjoy ordering me around.”
“You keep listening.”
A tiny smile tugged at Cass’s mouth before he finally settled cross-legged on the rug in front of the hearth.
Toryn sat behind him carefully.
The sight alone nearly undid him.
Cass relaxed slowly back against his chest while firelight painted warm gold across pale skin and damp hair.
For a long moment, Toryn simply stared.
The healer tilted his head slightly. “You stopped moving.”
“…Thinking.”
“That sounds dangerous.”
“You have no idea.”
Cass laughed softly beneath his breath.
Toryn began carefully brushing through the long golden strands with slow, patient movements.
He had never done this for another person before.
The intimacy of it struck him almost immediately.
Cass trusted him enough for this.
Enough to sit vulnerable between his legs with his throat and chest exposed while Toryn handled him gently.
The realization made something warm ache fiercely beneath his ribs.
Cass slowly melted beneath the brushing, shoulders loosening one careful inch at a time.
“That feels nice,” he admitted quietly.
Toryn made a low sound of satisfaction deep in his chest.
The fire crackled softly nearby.
Outside, crickets sang in the darkness.
Inside, everything felt warm.
Safe.
Dangerously domestic.
Toryn finished working through one stubborn tangle before instinct took over completely.
He leaned forward slowly and pressed his face into Cass’s damp hair.
Cass stilled immediately.
Toryn inhaled softly against him.
Lavender.
Smoke.
River water.
Cassius.
A deep rumbling sound vibrated unconsciously in Toryn’s chest as he nuzzled carefully against the side of Cass’s head.
The healer shivered faintly.
“Toryn?”
The Dragonborn realized belatedly what he was doing.
Dragonborn affection had always been more physical than human customs—nuzzling, scenting, gentle bites among trusted companions and mates alike.
He pulled back slightly. “Sorry. It’s a… habit.”
Cass turned just enough to look back at him curiously.
“You were scenting me.”
Toryn blinked. “You know about that?”
Cass smiled faintly. “I read.”
Of course he did.
Heat crawled beneath Toryn’s scales.
“It’s considered affectionate,” he admitted roughly.
Cass’s expression softened instantly.
“Oh.”
The healer hesitated only a moment before leaning back into him deliberately.
The invitation nearly stopped Toryn’s heart.
Carefully now, Toryn brushed another slow nuzzle against Cass’s temple.
Then along his cheek.
Cass made the tiniest pleased sound.
Gods.
Toryn could not survive this man.
The Dragonborn’s lips brushed lightly against Cass’s jaw before instinctively, gently, he closed his teeth in the faintest playful nip against his cheek.
Cass startled with a surprised laugh.
“Toryn!”
“Gentle,” Toryn rumbled immediately. “I know my own strength.”
“You bit me!”
“Affectionately.”
Cass laughed harder now, warm and helpless and completely unafraid.
The sound filled the cottage beautifully.
Emboldened, Toryn brushed another tiny bite beneath Cass’s jaw, followed immediately by a soothing nuzzle against the spot.
Cass shivered.
“That,” the healer whispered breathlessly, “is unfairly distracting.”
Toryn smiled against his neck, sharp teeth grazing skin just enough to make Cass squirm softly in his arms.
“You make very cute noises,” he murmured.
Cass immediately buried his burning face in his hands.
“Toryn.”
The Dragonborn laughed quietly—low and warm and impossibly fond while he held the smaller man safely against his chest before the fire.
Somehow, at some point after the hair brushing and laughter and affectionate nipping, Cass had ended up tucked fully against Toryn’s chest beneath one of the thick wool blankets from the couch.
Not that Toryn was complaining.
Gods, he could not remember the last time he had been this comfortable.
Cass sat sideways between his legs with his back resting against Toryn’s broad chest while the Dragonborn curled protectively around him almost without thinking. Toryn’s tail had wrapped loosely across Cass’s lap at some point as well, warm and heavy and entirely unwilling to let the healer drift far away.
The moonbells rested nearby on the windowsill.
Their sweet scent mingled with smoke and lavender.
Toryn felt half convinced he had fallen asleep beside the river and dreamed all of this.
Cass shifted slightly against him, drawing Toryn’s attention immediately downward.
“You’re staring again,” Cass murmured without opening his eyes.
“You’re very distracting.”
A faint smile touched Cass’s mouth.
“I am sitting perfectly still.”
“That has not helped at all.”
Cass laughed softly beneath his breath.
The sound vibrated warmly through Toryn’s chest.
Unable to help himself, the Dragonborn lowered his head and pressed another lingering nuzzle into Cass’s hair.
Then his cheek.
Then the side of his neck.
Cass melted further against him immediately.
Toryn was beginning to learn.
Every tiny reaction.
Every little sound.
The places that made Cass shiver versus the ones that made him laugh.
The way the healer’s breathing changed when Toryn’s teeth grazed lightly beneath his jaw.
The adorable squeak he made whenever Toryn unexpectedly nuzzled against the sensitive spot behind his ear.
Toryn was becoming dangerously obsessed with discovering all of them.
“There it is again,” Toryn murmured after coaxing another breathy little sound from Cass’s throat with a gentle nip.
Cass covered his face instantly with both hands. “You are impossible.”
“You made that noise.”
“You are biting me.”
“Affectionately.”
“That does not make it less distracting.”
Toryn rumbled with quiet amusement against his shoulder and rewarded him with another soft bite anyway.
Cass shivered dramatically in retaliation.
Gods.
The Dragonborn buried his face briefly against Cass’s neck because the sheer fondness threatening to spill out of him felt unbearable.
“You smell nice,” he muttered before thinking.
Cass laughed softly. “You’ve said that three times now.”
“And I’ve been correct every time.”
“You are very strange for a man who spent weeks glaring at everyone in the village.”
“I still glare at everyone.”
“Mm.” Cass tilted his head back slightly against Toryn’s shoulder, blue eyes warm with amusement. “Not me.”
No.
Never him.
The thought came so swiftly and honestly it startled Toryn a little.
Cass shifted again to better face the fire, one hand absently resting atop the Dragonborn’s tail where it lay across his lap.
Toryn nearly stopped breathing.
Cass noticed instantly. “Oh. Am I not supposed to touch—”
“No,” Toryn said immediately, perhaps too quickly. “You can.”
Cass blinked.
Then slowly stroked his hand once along the length of the dark scaled tail experimentally.
Toryn made a deep rumbling sound before he could stop himself.
Cass froze.
“…Was that you?”
Toryn closed his eyes briefly in suffering.
“Yes.”
Cass looked delighted.
“Oh, that is adorable.”
“I am going to throw you into the river.”
“You are currently using me as a pillow. I think your threats have lost credibility.”
Toryn huffed a reluctant laugh and tightened his arms slightly around the healer instead.
Cass relaxed immediately into the embrace.
Quiet settled again after that.
Easy now.
Comfortable.
The kind that crept up slowly and made leaving feel impossible to imagine.
Toryn rested his chin carefully atop Cass’s head while the firelight danced warmly across the cottage walls.
This.
This was what ruined a man.
Not battles.
Not bloodshed.
This softness.
This unbearable gentleness.
Cass suddenly spoke very quietly.
“You could stay tonight.”
Toryn went still.
Cass immediately looked nervous after saying it aloud. “Only if you want to,” he added quickly. “You do not have to. I only thought it was late and you’re warm and—” He stopped himself, flushing pink. “I mean—not that the inn is bad, just—”
“I want to.”
The answer came rough and immediate.
Cass blinked up at him.
Toryn swallowed once before speaking more carefully.
“If you’re certain.”
Cass hesitated only long enough for Toryn’s heart to start sinking.
Then he nodded softly.
“I’m certain.”
Something painfully tender unfolded inside Toryn’s chest.
Cass looked shy now, almost vulnerable after asking.
As though he feared Toryn might still refuse despite everything.
The idea alone hurt.
Very gently, Toryn lifted one hand and brushed his knuckles along Cass’s cheek.
“I would like that very much,” he said quietly.
Cass smiled then.
Small.
Sleepy.
Beautiful enough to ruin him forever.
And when the healer tucked himself closer beneath Toryn’s chin afterward with complete trust, the Dragonborn realized with sudden terrifying clarity that he no longer merely wanted to belong here.
He already did.