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Hadrian merely hummed in reply, focused more on the Merrow that was greeting Theo while carefully dancing around the twins who were the closest Circle members to the Alpha. From the greeting alone, he seemed to be more even-tempered and mild-mannered than that morning, but when a blue-haired head turned in the direction of the bottom house, the ACE decided that it was probably best to be safe than sorry.
He wasn’t in the mood to deal with the headache if he let things proceed naturally, as he’d been doing before. He also didn’t want to move to physically intervene, which was another possibility if he simply let things play out as they had been.
After all, he was very comfortable.
With a leg, Hadrian pulled the hammock forward to prompt another sway, using the length of his limb to nudge Brishen’s side before allowing physics to take over and letting the hammock sway backward.
The Joker’s blue eyes slid open a fraction further and he took in the sight of Alec approaching the beach house before sending Hadrian an annoyed look. The ACE pointedly returned the look with one of his own, black eyes narrowing in silent warning. In response, Brishen yawned and buried his head in his arms, hiding his face entirely. Behind his mask, one of Hadrian’s eyebrows rose as the other Gheyo’s aura and presence became significantly less noticeable. He hadn’t quite expected that, but he appreciated the small concession being made, even if that particular—talent—still unnerved him slightly.
Alec skirted around the group of three sitting in the sun, not too far away from the shaded bottom house, scales rippling as they surfaced and hid under the exposure to the sun, nearly sparkling under the bright light. It was a pretty sight, Hadrian thought, before glancing down at Harry again. The brunet was still half-asleep, but he’d simultaneously relaxed and tensed in the same second that the Merrow had stepped out of the water. Given that instinctual reaction, Hadrian wouldn’t be surprised if Harry started waking up more fully now that Alec was back.
The Merrow gave Hadrian and Raspen a small scowl and both of the older dragels were fairly positive that he was dragging his feet, but eventually, Alec stood next to the hammock. Blue eyes glanced down at Harry resting in it and the scowl faded into a small frown.
When Riven had appeared and softly, soothingly rubbed his shoulder, Harry had thought nothing of it, especially because the white-haired dragel had also checked in on Bran before claiming a spot of his own. He’d started to wonder when Brishen had stopped by to ruffle his hair and run his fingers over the haircord around Harry’s neck that his feather hung on, after the Gheyo decided to quit playing with the others and before he’d decided to nap on the colder floor. Now, after Raspen had lightly brushed his forehead with his thumb and as Alec reached down to lightly squeeze his shoulder, Harry was starting to suspect that there was some sort of greeting ritual surfacing to show itself.
Not that he would complain, though. It was sweet and the little touches, done in an almost absent-minded manner, satisfied an inner craving he never knew he had.
Harry could blame it on his half-asleep state later, but when the cool, blue hand started to pull away, he reached up and caught it, tangling his fingers with Alec’s longer ones.
A startled look entered rich blue eyes and lilac-colored hues started to appear on Alec’s face. At first, Harry thought the spots were scales until he realized that the other male was blushing.
Merrow blushed purple. That was … oddly adorable, Harry mused as he gave Alec a small, wary smile and brushed the back of that blue hand against his cheek. His smile widened as more purple spots appeared.
After a minute, Alec huffed softly. “Not fair,” he grumbled under his breath.
Harry blinked up at him, not fully understanding the words, but he didn’t ask and Alec didn’t elaborate. Instead, the Merrow stood there somewhat awkwardly, huffing again when the brunet gave no indications of letting his hand go anytime soon. He shifted and huffed for a third time, giving Hadrian a glare, silently warning him to keep his mouth shut.
Raspen barely managed to keep a smile off his face as the Merrow dropped to sit beside Harry in the hammock, on the leg Hadrian hadn’t been using to sway the woven resting place. Between Harry’s perfectly content expression, Hadrian’s startled look, and Alec’s distinct discomfort with the situation, it was certainly an entertaining sight.
Within an hour, Harry was fairly sure of two things. One, there was a distinct difference between Alec’s default mannerisms—apparently, a particular brand of prickly snark, insults, and complaints—and how he acted when he was deliberately antagonistic or trying to get a reaction out of someone. Two, Alec and Brishen were likely never going to get along.
They weren’t even trying, he realized surly. Not with each other. Observing their interactions with others, he could tell that they were willing to make concessions and tolerate others within the Circle, but when it came to each other….
It was enough to give one a headache and Harry wasn’t quite sure how to deal with the pair of them short of bashing their heads in or locking them in a closet together for however long it took for them to sort their issues with each other out.
At least he wasn’t alone in his uncertainty on how to handle the two of them together. Nearly everyone seemed to be at a loss when it came to dealing with the situation and mediating between the Merrow and the Phoelix.
Some didn’t even try, Harry thought grumpily, casting a small glower at Hadrian and Wikhn. The two Gheyos seemed mildly amused and entertained whenever a not-so-subtle barb or threat was traded between the bickering pair. As if they knew something that the rest of the Circle didn’t.
Maybe it was all the Gheyos, he pondered when Devrim finally quit the game and wandered up to the bottom house. The scarred man had rolled his eyes and he’d traded a knowing look with Idan when he’d gotten close enough to hear the sharp words. The Air Gheyo had been looking over at the group in the shade from his spot in the sun, also seemingly entertained by Brishen and Alec.
The glower on Harry’s face faded into a soft smile and he held out a hand to the Gheyo when Devrim hovered near the foot of the hammock, prompting him to come closer. When he did, Harry lifted a larger, calloused hand and pressed it against his cheek, giving a soft chirrup in greeting. It felt right to him, and it seemed to ease something in the Gheyo, because the uncertain look in his eye faded. Devrim returned the smile and tapped Harry’s nose lightly with a finger before drawing back and settling on the floor, bracing himself against one of the structural beams near the other end of the hammock, only a few inches away from Brishen’s head.
Taking sides? Harry wondered. Or maybe it was just a Gheyo thing? He wasn’t able to think on it for too long, because a moment after Devrim settled, Fred followed. “Game over?” he asked as the redhead came over to ruffle his hair.
“Snack break,” the older Gryffindor replied lightly. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Going to go see if more food has miraculously appeared without a certain someone knowing about it.”