Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time Fan Fiction ❯ Yaoi Ocean 3 ❯ Chapter Nine: Awkward Silence ( Chapter 9 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Rereading this, I realized that my bias CliffxAlbel fangirl-ism is quite prominent. I promise to make up for it later though. Tehe.

Chapter Nine

Awkward Silence

Cliff was the first to wake, and pried himself away from the other two and slid out of bed. He pulled on the rest of his clothes and opened the curtains, checking the sun's progress across the sky. It was still early. He glanced back at the two intertwined on the bed. He had better wake them up, lest they have some awkward explaining to do.

“Hey, wake up,” Cliff said, walking over to the bed. Fayt groaned and pushed his face closer to Albel's chest. Albel was awake but ignoring Cliff's efforts. “Get up—now. Or we'll have a real awkward time telling the girls why we're all sleeping in here.”

“Shut up,” Albel commanded. He wouldn't care anyway. But Fayt would.

“Fayt,” Cliff called.

“Hm… Hmm?” he answered.

The Klausian prodded him in the shoulder with a finger. “Get up. Don't want the girls getting suspicious, so get out of bed.” If they didn't already know—they had been pretty loud lately…

“Mmm… Right.” He opened his eyes and rubbed them. He attempted to get out of bed, but Albel was still halfway laying on him, so it made getting out of bed difficult. After he untangled himself from the mess of heavy limbs, avoiding Albel's claws, he scooted out of bed. He shoved his feet back in to his shoes and on his way out the door, Cliff scooped him up in one arm and planted a kiss on his surprised lips. He dumped him unceremoniously back on the floor. Fayt huffed indignantly, but he hurried back to his room to put the rest of his clothes back on without verbal complaint.

Albel rolled on to his back and looked at Cliff without saying anything. He finally got out of bed. Cliff looked at the length of him. He really did have a lovely body. He had a sudden gorgeous vision of Albel in some kind of fetish clothes—like maybe a maid outfit or a nurse outfit. Not that the other would wear something like that—ever—but it was still a pleasing thought. Albel looked at him. “If you're going to watch, you could at least stop drooling,” he said flatly.

Cliff licked his lips. As he passed by Albel, he groped his bare ass. To Albel's scowl, he said, “Sorry; you're hot.” He glanced back at him with a smirk. Albel was looking down. Something about his face… Cliff peered closer. He was blushing! Cliff grinned. He looked… Or maybe in a wedding gown? Albel in a white gown was an appealing thought—blushing bride and all that. He would totally skewer him if he knew what he was thinking. Fortunately for Cliff's health, mind reading was not an ability the other had.

“Stop staring,” he repeated, his face getting redder by the minute.

“But you look cute when you're blushing.”

His hand came out of no where and the blow stung, but it had been worth it. “Get out,” he snapped. Cliff laughed and kissed Albel's unrelenting lips before he left the room.

Breakfast was taken in the town square. Maria and Cliff sat together, discussing things about the Diplo. Nel and Fayt sat together and conversed about the Marquis. Albel wandered off to some unknown destination without eating.

As the meal drew to a close, they realized that Albel hadn't returned yet. “Where'd Albel go?” Fayt wondered, looking around as if the swordsman would appear by wondering about him—sort of like the devil.

Nel took a sip of tea. “I think he wandered over to the west side of town.”

Maria sighed. “I guess we have to find him.”

Fayt crossed his arms. “Right. I'll be right back.”

*Refer to cut scene with Fayt and Albel about why Airyglyph lost the war. Third option*

Albel trailed behind Fayt back to the others and they once more set out to go find Crosell. Fayt told them about the bone flute and they discussed that it might help with the motif that seemed to be a door inside the caves.

Needless to say, this was the first place they went to. Fayt played a song and it opened. Cliff clapped in a sarcastic manner. Fayt scowled at him over his shoulder.

They continued on their merry way. Well, no one was exactly “merry,” actually. Nel was irritated, Maria was annoyed, and Cliff's opinion of the whole matter would require censors. Albel was actually in a fairly good mood—likely having to do with the previous day's activities—not that anyone noticed any real difference except that he seemed to have a bit more energy than most everyone else. Fayt was the only one who was naturally energetic and upbeat as always—even after the little rabbit creature told them that they needed to go all the way back to Airyglyph to get something the rabbit—Vanilla--needed to make them a ring of disintegration.

They needed this ring to get to Crosell so nothing could be done about it. Cliff complained all the way back. Fayt joined in his complaining and the two ended up bantering back and forth about all the backtracking they had to do. By the time the weary, footsore group got there, no one really wanted to go hunting through the aqueducts to find the item. Fayt, as usual, volunteered despite this communal weariness. Maria decided to go with him, and Nel went along to act as healer—leaving Albel and Cliff alone. Neither of them said anything, but the second the other two were out of sight, they looked at each other. Cliff tilted his head toward the stairs suggestively.

Albel considered—but only briefly. He marched up the stairs to their room and immediately began stripping off his clothes. Cliff walked in and shut the door, wondering if he should comment about how Albel needed to shut doors before he started stripping. Upon seeing Albel's gloriously naked body, he thought better of it. The man was an exhibitionist by nature—what did he care anyway? Cliff would just be wasting his breath trying to reprimand him.

When Cliff was too slow removing his clothes, the swordsman helped. By “helped,” that meant “impatiently ripped off Cliff's clothes, nearly tearing them in the process and then throwing them on the floor heedlessly.” Cliff opened his mouth to yell at him about respecting other people's property, but Albel tackled him, throwing all of his weight into the tackle, knocking him off of his feet, and on to the bed behind him. Albel landed on top of him, kissing him, licking him, and in all other manners, generally molesting him.

They had to be quick about it because there was no telling when the others would get back—which was horribly unfortunate, but such is life. They had a brief discussion in between breaths and kisses about how to make it shorter. The conclusion was to suck each other almost to climax and then to fuck.

Albel twisted around and pulled Cliff's manhood in to his mouth with his teeth, nibbling slightly. Cliff lifted the others hips. Albel stopped moving until Cliff resituated him. He moaned when Cliff took him in his mouth too. Cliff ran his tongue along Albel, pulling at the foreskin a little with his teeth, sucking on the head. He stopped only to lubricate his fingers, then began again. He pushed his fingers inside Albel and matched the pace to his mouth. Albel groaned, and then gagged as Cliff scraped the back of his throat. He took a deep breath, preparing for what he had in mind, then pushed his head farther along Cliff, swallowing hard. He gagged. Cliff froze, moaning past the appendage in his mouth. Cliff felt precum dribble in his mouth and slide down his throat.

They weren't going to make it to the fucking—it seemed okay though. Cliff pushed farther back. He heard the other gag again, then choke. Albel moved his head back, breathing hard. They both came, and not a single drop spilled. Albel swallowed some of his saliva and rolled off of Cliff, trying to catch his breath. His windpipe felt a bit abused, but it had been well-worth it.

Cliff wanted some water. The taste of cum wasn't one of the most appealing tastes he had ever had, even if it had been from one of the more appealing men he had ever had. Cliff wiped at his mouth a little, even though it was unnecessary; it was subconscious. He stretched and began putting his clothes back on.

“I'm going to get some water. You want anything?”

Albel opened his mouth to reply, then shut it when he heard people walking up the stairs. He immediately flew out of bed and started pulling on his clothes. Cliff, who was already dressed, realized what he had heard and stepped outside, deciding to detain the others.

He met them at the top of the stairs. “So, how did it go?” he asked.

Fayt held up the item—which didn't look nearly as impressive as it should, taking in to consideration all the trouble they had gone through to get it. “All that for this.” He yawned. It had been a long day. “We're gonna head out in the morning.”

Cliff sighed. All this time that they had wasted. How much more were the Vendeeni going to give them to regroup? “Right.”

“I think I'll go to bed early in preparation for tomorrow,” Fayt said. He walked past Cliff in to the room. He tried to pretend that there was nothing weird about Albel putting his clothes back on. Fayt set his sword down and kicked off his shoes. He sniffed the air. Yep, they had been doing something. He could smell it. Hopefully, the girls didn't come in here—that'd be awkward. He still could barely contain his jealousy though. Was it strange that he wanted to be involved too? Maybe they could… No, these walls were thin and they needed the rest besides. Damn, but he was envious and felt like he had missed something.

Cliff walked inside in a few minutes. There was a brief moment of awkward silence. The blonde handed Albel a glass of water. A private look passed between them that Fayt was a little jealous of. The three different species went to bed early, in separate beds mind you, after goodnight kisses (and brief molestations) were exchanged.

Albel woke up first and spent the remainder of the night sharpening his sword as he considered the past few days' events. Cliff woke around dawn and went to the bakery to get something for everyone to eat. He ended up meeting Nel there, so they walked back together.

Cliff and Nel brought a couple pies and a few other things. Everyone else waited for them at the lobby area. Fayt and Maria chatted casually and Albel stared out the window at the snow. In Fayt's opinion, one would think he had seen enough snow in his life that he wouldn't go out of his way to stare at it, but there he was.

The pair with the food set it down at the table and began dividing up the food. “Albel, if you don't take your food, I will!” Cliff called cheerfully. The other stalked over to the table, picked up the plate, and walked outside. Fayt rolled his eyes and took a bite of pie.

“The food here tastes different,” Maria commented.

Cliff smiled sardonically. “It's called `natural,' girl. No additives, no hormones.”

“Hmm,” she mused, chewing.

Fayt decided that he wasn't particularly hungry. He finished off the pie and stretched his back. One of his legs brushed against Cliff's. Some colour rose to his cheeks. He hid the blush with a hand and a fake yawn. He got up. “I'm going outside,” he decided. He hurried out the door. He expected to see Albel sitting outside picking at the plate alone, but he didn't see him. Not immediately, anyway.

Fayt cocked his head to the side, and a smile snaked its way unbidden across his face. Well, there was a sight he had never thought he would see. Albel was kneeling down at eye-level to two Glyphian children, giving his portion to them. One of them, the boy, looked at him in a way akin to hero worship. The boy had a big grin on his face and he said something Fayt couldn't hear from this distance. Albel smiled crookedly and said something back. The kid's smile widened.

The swordsman spoke again. Even straining, Fayt still couldn't hear it. The two kids ran off. Albel stood up and turned around. When he saw Fayt, his eyes widened a little in horror; after all, the Earthling had seen him acting like a half-decent person.

Fayt smiled adoringly. “You have a heart after all,” he commented. His voice was so syrupy sweet that it was sickening.

Albel sneered. “Idiot.” But he walked over to Fayt anyway.

The blue-haired Earthling couldn't help but continue to smile and it only made Albel feel more and more embarrassed—and he felt more and more like smacking him across the face too. “It's sweet.”

The other scowled. “You really are an idiot.” Then he sighed and glanced back the way the children had run off. “They were almost starved to death.”

The smile faded from Fayt's face as he realized how bad it really was here. Albel wasn't exaggerating. That conversation he had had with the soldier floated back to the forefront of his mind. Aquaria was a lush land, and the people there really didn't know what it was like to be hungry—a “carrot” in front of the horse, as it were. A plum they couldn't resist. Fayt thought of those two children. “Starving” he had said. Literally, to death. Could Fayt really be mad at Albel and the other Glyphians for pressing the war? He didn't like the idea, but…

He was pushed from his thoughts when Albel grabbed his arm. “You're shivering; go back inside.” He shoved him toward the door. Fayt snatched Albel's wrist and pulled him inside with him. No one saw the brief, private moment when they looked at each other as they stepped through the door.

After breaking their fast, the group headed back to the lava caves and Vanilla made them their ring. They then went on their merry way again.

*refer to cut scene with Crosell up until they ride the dragon back to Aquios.*

The group wandered off separately while the Thunder Arrow was being loaded on the dragon's back. Fayt went to speak with everyone—they mostly had feelings of apprehension layered on top of hope. He went back to watch the goings-on with the dragon.

*refer to long cut scene*

Fayt wondered what that had been all about. A new weapon? What could have done that? Two of the Vendeeni ships had been destroyed—which was good news, but… it did mean that something bigger was out there. He had a really bad feeling about it.

However, it was time to leave this world and get on the Diplo. Fayt was anxious to rescue his father and Sophia. Now, they finally had a chance. As they were getting off Crosell, Fayt saw Albel stalk off alone. He glanced over his shoulder once to glare at Cliff and Fayt, then disappeared. At first, Fayt puzzled over it, but then realized that he was angry that they were leaving. Fayt almost smiled at that, but then the direness of the situation caught up with him; they needed to leave.

They were teleported up to the Diplo. Fayt wondered if he would miss Elicoor. Probably—the air smelled good here, and the world was so beautiful and unpolluted. Not to mention that he would miss Nel and Albel. Particularly Albel. Fayt's thoughts strayed to the types of things they had done together—all the kisses, the caresses, and especially the sex.

Oh, well. That was that then. Of course… Fayt glanced at Cliff. … Fayt still had Cliff—for however much longer. Like he had realized long before, it couldn't last. But he could enjoy it while it did.

There were some initial greetings from some of Maria's crew. One of them had an obnoxious voice, but Fayt supposed that he could deal with it. They talked for a while about the attack, trying to figure out what had caused it. However, it apparently came from “out of nowhere” because every other significant government had no knowledge of it—not the Federation, certainly not the Vendeeni, and not Aldian either. Fayt's head swam with the implications.

Maria apparently knew where his father was being held captive, and they set coordinates for the planet. Fayt felt a little apprehensive about the whole thing. So far, every plan they had made had gone astray. He wondered if this one would too.

He didn't have to wonder long.

The Aquaelie was fast approaching—a Federation battleship. It wasn't just any ship either; it was the battleship of Commodore Wittcomb. What could they want?

The Commodore sent in a transmission. He and Maria exchanged civil greetings before getting down to business. Basically, the Commodore told them not to attack the incoming Vendeeni battleship, because he didn't believe the other would attack.

Sure enough, the Vendeeni sent the Diplo a transmission. The Vendeeni were far less social than Wittcomb. Biwig, the Vendeeni captain, was a rather rude official. Not only that, he was unreasonable. He demanded Fayt in exchange for Dr. Leingod and Sophia. He called Leingod an “enemy of the galaxy.” Fayt wondered what he meant by that.

The connection terminated after the demands were made clear. Maria looked stressed, and who could blame her? The responsibility all fell upon her. They contacted the Aquaelie again and exchanged words with the Commodore once more. He agreed to provide back-up and whatnot.

By the end of the entire exchange, the idea was that they would exchange Fayt for Robert and Sophia at the Kirlsa Training Facility. It was ironic that it was a place they had been to before—so at least they had that much in their favour—provided that they could think of some kind of plan soon.

Fayt was understandably worried about his father, Robert, and Sophia. Maria tried to reassure him, but he didn't feel very reassured about the whole thing. Something just didn't sit quite right.

They prepared a team and teleported them down to the roof of the training facility. Fayt glanced up. On the wall, he thought he saw a person, but wasn't quite certain.

*Refer to game up until Albel destroys the transport jammer, gets shot, Robert dies, and they get back to Diplo.*

Fayt stared at the body he once knew to be his father. How many people had he seen die since this whole mess? Ameena, Dion, countless others, and now his father too? At least Albel would be all right.

Although, it was really all Fayt's fault—wasn't it? It was his fault that so many people had died so far—and his father was going to explain to them about the genetic engineering. In fact, they had come so close to learning about it. At least, he left them with one clue: His research lab at Moonbase. Getting there in the Diplo might be an issue, but Fayt was sure that Maria would find a way.

Fayt couldn't help being depressed about all the deaths that he felt to be the cause of, and seeing his father die, but… At least Sophia was all right—and Albel would live too. He should be happy about that. And, granted, he was, but the sadness outweighed the joy for now. Hopefully… just for now.

Albel happened to walk in after they were done discussing their plans to head to Moonbase—and was all up for coming with them. Cliff was none too sure about it—not that he didn't think Albel couldn't contribute to the cause, or because he thought he would be in the way, but because he was from an underdeveloped planet. Bringing him along to something as advanced as Moonbase might be… Well, he had already seen the Diplo and had taken all of the technology in stride as if it were only natural. It would probably all be fine.

Fayt was happy to bring along Albel—they could use him, and besides… Fayt still wanted him in bed. He felt a little put-out that Cliff and Albel had had sex more often than he had with the swordsman. He had nothing on him and Cliff though. Fayt felt mildly pleased about that, but he still felt jealous. He would have to get over that.

But there was no time for that right now; they received an invitation from Wittcomb to come over to the Aquaelie for a discussion. Maria took him up on the offer and everyone teleported over to the Federation battleship.

Fayt would have expected Maria and Cliff to be more apprehensive but they were as relaxed as ever. Fayt had to admit that he felt a little more comfortable back with the familiar Federation than with the Klausians in the Diplo.

Commodore Wittcomb had some disturbing news indeed.

*Refer to gameplay again for that scene.*

If Fayt hadn't been sitting down, he might have fallen over. Earth's planetary defense shields hadn't been enough for it. And that was only a warning shot…! What could an all-out attack do if that was nothing more than a declaration of war?

Not only that, planets were being attacked now and people were getting killed… again. And Fayt was a weapon? He could help? If he could, he certainly wanted to. They needed to get to Moonbase. Wittcomb agreed to take them.

In the meantime, they had a pretty long span of downtime. Everyone sort of wandered off. Fayt did the same, then decided to go talk to the others. Maria was looking up any information she could about Moonbase, and shared it with him. It was interesting, but not exactly what they needed to know.

Fayt almost went in to his room, but then walked past it. He went to see Cliff. Stereotypically, he didn't knock and simply walked in. Albel was in the room, sprawled lazily in the chair. By the wisps of conversation that Fayt picked up, Albel was trying to convince him to have sex with him. Perfect timing then!

“I agree with Albel,” Fayt put in.

Cliff scowled. “What if someone walks in—like you just did?” he demanded, crossing his arms. It was almost intimidating—“almost,” because Fayt knew how sensitive his skin could be to some things.

The youth looked behind him at the door. “Doesn't it lock?”

“No.”

Fayt frowned in thought. “Well, I doubt anyone will come in here. If they want to contact you, it's much easier to use the intercom.”

Cliff made a face. “Then why didn't you?”

Fayt blinked in surprise. “Well, that's because…”

Albel was up and out of the chair before he finished the sentence. He didn't say anything, but he immediately stuck his hand down Fayt's pants. Fayt yelped in surprise. Albel chuckled and nibbled the lobe of his ear. “This is why,” Albel finished for him, because Fayt suddenly forgot what he was talking about.

“Then why don't you two go to one of your rooms,” Cliff advised. They both stared at Cliff—Fayt pleadingly and Albel flatly. Yeah, he hadn't thought so. “Fine.” Cliff sat down in the chair Albel had been sitting in. He gestured to the bed. “You two have sex then. I'll watch.”

Albel snorted. Fine. He'd make it so… engaging that Cliff couldn't help but join in. He instructed Fayt to take off his clothes. Albel continued molesting him while he tried to—it was a major distraction but it also spurred him to move faster.

Fayt impatiently pulled at Albel's' clothing, trying to remember how the shirt came off. He suddenly remembered and found the little hooks in the side. He pulled them apart, but hesitated at his collar. How the hell did that come off? He didn't see any mechanism for opening it, but he had seen Albel without it, so it must… But how? Albel sighed and did something to the front of it. It swung open on hidden hinges. He dropped it on the floor with a loud, resounding thunk. It nearly hit Fayt in the foot. He imagined that if it didn't break his toes, it'd hurt pretty badly anyway.

Albel shrugged out of his shirt. It slipped to the floor amidst the other scattered clothing. While he did that, Fayt untied the knot that kept Albel's skirt in place. All of it fell to the floor around his ankles. Cliff watched on in rapt attention.

Albel shoved Fayt on to the bed, simultaneously kicking off his shoes.

“I don't want cum all over the bed,” Cliff reminded them. Albel growled at him, but otherwise didn't respond. Fayt would have replied, except that Albel shoved his fingers in to his mouth and he couldn't. Fayt dutifully lathered Albel's fingers sufficiently. The Elicoorian pulled his fingers out of the Earthling's mouth and roughly shoved one inside a different orifice.

Albel glanced at Cliff, then looked back at Fayt. The Klausian moved to watch at a better angle. Cliff observed as Albel, ever impatient, decided that Fayt was prepared enough. Fayt flinched at seeing what the Elicoorian was about to do. Cliff decided to intervene; things would progress more efficiently that way. He walked over to Albel and picked him up, away from Fayt. The Earthling bit down on his lip to keep from laughing.

Albel glared at Cliff. Cliff turned him around and lifted Albel nearly over his head completely. He pulled him in to his mouth with his teeth, practically drooling over him to coat him as much as possible. He felt Albel's fingers curl in his hair loosely. After that was done, he set him back down, tousling his long hair affectionately. He sat back down to continue watching. Albel moved back to take Fayt. Entry was a little easier than it would have been without Cliff's assistance. It still wasn't too smooth; Fayt twisted and flinched a bit before he got used to it.

Albel nibbled on Fayt's nipples. He didn't think that Fayt was the sort to appreciate Albel's more eclectic tastes, so he let it be rather than make his uke uncomfortable. If Fayt got turned off, this wouldn't be so agreeable.

Cliff was rather enjoying watching his two ukes. He had thought that if it were just the two of them that Albel would play the role of seme, but at the same time, he hadn't been too sure. Albel had enjoyed being his uke, after all, but Fayt didn't seem confident enough to be on top. He was more innocent than he had a right to be.

“Don't be too loud either,” Cliff reminded them.

Fayt scowled, then groaned when Albel jerked his hips experimentally, to see if Fayt was ready. He apparently was. “You're…” He gasped. “Cliff, you're making me…” He choked back a cry. “… Making me feel… like a porn star...” he complained.

Live porn, Cliff thought. About right. Props might be good. Like a gag to keep Albel quiet. He'd look pretty cute with a ball gag, maybe a chain on that collar… He remembered Albel back in the dungeon. Hmm… Fayt was a little too innocent-looking for that; he wouldn't look as sexy; just innocent and cute. Maybe silk rope or blindfolds for Fayt. He made a mental note to try it sometime—at least with Albel. Fayt might be put off by the idea, but one never knows.

Fayt held on to Albel while he pounded in to him. Cliff leaned forward, trying to get a good look. He felt his penis stretch. Maybe he should join… He tilted his head to get a better look at Albel's ass, watching the muscles flex and relax briefly. He liked the way his thighs tightened and the muscles in his arms moved. Fayt looked lovely lying there moaning, back arching, all he could do to keep up with Albel.

Yep, time to join. Cliff hurried out of his clothes and cast them aside in the pile on the floor. The other two were so interested in each other that neither noticed, so it came as a complete surprise to Albel when he felt Cliff climb on top of him. He grunted when Cliff pushed himself in to his unprepared hole. It was a little rough on Cliff too, but it hurt Albel more; he knew that the Elicoorian wouldn't mind overmuch. He shifted, waiting, gently moving with Albel's suddenly slower pace, trying not to put too much weight on to Albel because Fayt was under him, looking up at both of them. Fayt leaned up, nuzzling his face against Albel's neck, kissing his neck, then glanced up at Cliff. Cliff leaned down, meeting his lips with his.

Albel's tongue trailed along Cliff's neck, he bit his earlobe, tugging gently, reminding him. Cliff broke the kiss, kissed Albel briefly and steadied himself before he worked at pleasuring the other two—primarily the Elicoorian though. Fayt's back arched. He ground his hips against Albel. Albel probably had it the best; two people pleasuring him. However, it also meant he had two people to please, but he was up to the task… in more ways than one.

Fayt's arms wrapped around Albel's neck, bringing him down closer. They leaned in for a kiss. Cliff gripped Albel's hips and ground in to him. He gasped. Their lips brushed. A sound like a door opening was heard.

All three of them stopped. Fayt really didn't want to look. He really didn't want to know who had just walked in and saw them. But he turned his head, because the other two were staring and they had rather ill-at-ease facial expressions. The awkward silence filled the room to the brim and threatened to spill, as it were.

It was Sophia.

Her jaw moved slightly for a moment, then her legs wobbled. She hit the corner of the door, then slithered to the floor, unconscious. The door shut automatically behind her.

The three of them didn't move. Gods! Now what would they do?

Fayt looked at the two pinning him down, eyes wide. “What do we do?” he hissed.

Albel looked back at Sophia. “I suppose, if you really don't want anyone to know--“

“No,” Cliff said with finality before he finished. He knew that what Albel had in mind probably involved homicide. He climbed off and sat down, staring at the unconscious girl's body. It did leave them with quite a problem though. “Er…” No brilliant plan came to mind, not even a hunch.

Fayt shoved Albel off of him and flew to his clothes lying on the floor. He pulled on most of his outfit and picked up Sophia. He hurried to her room, avoiding anyone he saw by hiding in other rooms or any other object he could hide behind. Sophia stayed unconscious—which was good. He finally made it to her room and tucked her in to bed. Hopefully, she would assume it was some crazy dream.

He almost decided to forget about finishing up with Cliff and Albel, but then he realized that he had left his sword in there. He sighed and walked back to Cliff's room.

“… I wonder what she wanted anyway,” Cliff was saying. He was sitting on the bed, leaning against the wall. Albel was sprawled lazily on the bed in front of him, his left arm hanging off of the bed limply, still encased in the gauntlet. The weight of it threatened to drag him to the floor after it. They were both still naked and didn't seem to care. The door slid closed behind Fayt.

Fayt crossed his arms. “Well, now what?” he demanded.

The other two had no opinion on what to do about the matter. Albel insisted that they should continue where they left off, but Cliff and Fayt were no longer in the mood, so it spoiled his plans.

“Maybe she won't remember,” Cliff said hopefully.

Fayt clung to that hope. “I put her in her bed, so even if she does remember, maybe she'll just think she was having a… dream.” He almost said “nightmare,” but decided that it might offend the other two.

Cliff nodded. “Right.” He stretched. “We'll, I'm gonna go to sleep.” He stared at Fayt and Albel. Fayt took the hint and grabbed his things and left for his own room. Albel continued lying on his bed. Cliff kicked him lightly in the shoulder. The other slid a little closer to the floor. “Get up and leave.”

Albel looked up at him without saying anything. He pushed himself in to Cliff's lap, and drew his now limp member in to his mouth. Cliff started to protest, but the protest died on his tongue with the movements of the other's tongue. He groaned, his fingers weaving in to Albel's hair. He had a desire to make his hair a tangled mess. He stiffened, gripping Albel's hair. The other gasped in surprise when Cliff yanked his head up, pushing himself to the back of Albel's throat. He knew he could do it. Albel gagged twice, took a deep breath, and swallowed.

When Albel could stand it no longer, he pushed Cliff's hand away and tilted his head back. Cliff slid out of the other's mouth. The swordsman straddled him, positioning him with one hand, his left arm on Cliff's shoulder to help balance himself. He slid down on him, a sigh escaping his lips.

“Make it quick, okay?” Cliff breathed, worried that another “Sophia incident” might occur. It was unlikely, but he wasn't willing to risk it.

“Mmm,” Albel sighed in agreement. He needed to go to sleep too. Another long day awaited them tomorrow. He slid on Cliff, pressed against him body, wrapped in his muscular arms. He arched his back, twisting his hips a little. Cliff tasted his exposed neck and gently bit him. Albel gasped softly. He nibbled along his neck, up to the place where his neck joined his head. He latched his mouth there, sucking hard. Albel tilted his neck for easier access, moving on top of him. Cliff pulled away, his hands roving over his body. He gripped Albel's hips and lifted him, almost completely off of him before he dropped him back down. He slid down to the base. Cliff jerked his hips. The other let out a sharp, stifled cry.

Cliff's grip on Albel tightened, pinning him down on him. He shifted his position slightly to accommodate what he had in mind. Continuing to pin the other down, he slid in and out of him. Albel tried to move, to continue to do the work, but the way he was pinned, couldn't. Cliff saw the tormented frustration in his eyes, and also the delight that he couldn't do it. Masochist.

Cliff drew completely out of him, then slammed in to him with such force that Albel actually jumped, then settled on him. Cliff's grip slackened to allow Albel to move. He didn't waste his newfound freedom; he twisted his hips, grinding against him. He arched his back, pushing as much of his lover in to him as he could. Sweat glistened on his chest. In an effort to devour Cliff, he tilted back until the back of his head touched the bed, his back arched, his legs wrapped around Cliff.

The blonde moaned, then gasped when Albel made a quick jerking movement with the aid of his thighs. Albel moved against him like that. He felt the climax approaching. His fingers curled around Albel's throbbing erection. His thumb found the vein at the base. He massaged it with his thumb, keeping a grip on him the entire time. With his other hand, he gently kneaded his testicles. Albel groaned, making the jerking movement again that felt so euphoric. The swordsman's entire body was trembling; he must be nearing climax too. Good.

Twenty seconds, a minute, an hour—it was all lost in an abyss of pleasure. The only thing that mattered were the senses—sight—

Cliff gripping Albel. The swordsman pushing himself against him.

--sound—

Albel's moan escalated in to a sharp cry. Cliff's groan gave way to deep pants as he tried to catch his breath.

--smell—

The smell of sweat permeated the air. They could even smell Fayt's sweat in the bed with them, mingling with the fresher sweat of the other two.

--and touch—

Cliff felt hot inside Albel, and hotter still when he arched his back a little more, clenching around him. Albel could feel sweat drip over his bare leg from Cliff's back. He slid against the sweat. It was getting difficult to hold the position.

--and after one white-hot moment of release, all that really mattered was that it ended.

They laid together in a mess of sticky, sweaty limbs, kissing, gasping for air, but still unwilling to part. It crossed both their minds: It was a shame that Fayt wasn't here too.

Albel eventually slid out of bed, still panting a little. Cliff looked up at him and couldn't help grinning. His hair—what wasn't tied—was a tangled mess indeed. Albel took a long, deep breath before he started dressing. He left without saying a word. Cliff frowned. Well, that made him feel a bit used. He could have at least left a tip. He laughed to himself.

He climbed out of bed, stretching. He stared at the blanket. It was covered in semen and sweat. He yanked off the top layer of blankets, hoping that it hadn't sunk through. If it did, he was going to make Albel sleep in here.

Cliff was almost disappointed when he saw that it hadn't.

It just so happened that Albel passed by Maria on his way back to his room. She paused upon seeing him—flushed, sweaty, with his hair matted.

“What were you doing?” she wondered quizzically.

Albel blinked slowly, deciding if he felt like answering. Oh, why not? “Sparring with Cliff and Fayt,” he said carefully. It wasn't exactly a lie.

She stared at his matted hair for a moment. “Hmm. Maybe you should go comb your hair.”

He snorted indignantly and continued on his way.