Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time Fan Fiction ❯ Yaoi Ocean 3 ❯ Chapter Fifteen: Rejection ( Chapter 15 )

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

Chapter Fifteen

Rejection

Diplo teleported them down right outside Aquios. Before they entered Aquios, Nel pulled Albel aside.

“What about Fayt?” she asked.

He glanced at the blue-haired Earthling briefly, then back at her. “Fayt is trying to work on Cliff now,” Albel assured her.

She smiled knowingly. “I see. So I take it things went well last night?”

“Mm-hmm,” he said, raising an eyebrow so she caught the drift.

Nel almost couldn't contain the “fangirl squee.” Somehow, she managed, and composed herself. “I'll be in charge of sleeping arrangements. Would it be better if I put Fayt and Cliff together, or you and Cliff?”
Albel hesitated. “Put Fayt and Cliff together.”

Nel nodded. “Right.” She considered other sleeping arrangements. “We have limited rooms right now. A lot of the empty guest rooms are being used for injured runoligists…” She snapped her fingers. “I'll put you with Maria. She had an idea about how to get Cliff to come around, so you and she can talk about that.”

“Isn't that `inappropriate?'”

“Under the circumstances, it's fine.” She gave a wicked grin. “Jealousy factor. Warn Fayt first, and hopefully it'll work on Cliff too.” Well, it had worked well on Fayt.

Albel wondered at that, but followed the plan. So far, things the two girls cooked up seemed to work well. Fayt didn't like it too much, but decided that he did need to work on Cliff a bit.

They went to Queen Aquaria in the throne room. She was pleasantly surprised to see them, as she had not expected to see them again. They certainly hadn't expected that they would be returning either—except maybe to drop Nel and Albel off.

Executioners were running rampant on Elicoor, and Aquaria and Airygylph were trying to find a way to fend them off, but it wasn't going well. Disheartening news, but if the group succeeded in dealing with Luther, then it shouldn't be an issue.

The queen agreed to let them borrow the Orb. They almost set out immediately for it, but on reflection, decided to do some weapon upgrades first. No telling what they would find down there, after all. Making and refining Orihalcum and Dark Crystals took up most of the morning. They stopped to cook lunch in the workshop (as Misty Lear, Mackwell, and Ansala—their alchemists--demanded a break). While the girls did that, the ones with absolutely no cooking skills whatsoever (Albel, Cliff, and Fayt) wandered off. The girls said that it would be done in about an hour so they could do whatever they liked during that time. Maria and Nel had grinned at Albel after that was said. He scowled at them.

Cliff looked at the other two. An entire hour, huh. It would have been a good opportunity… at one time. He turned and walked away, leaving Fayt and Albel to watch him leave. Fayt took a step closer to Albel automatically, as if he might walk away too. The Elicoorian touched Fayt's arm reassuringly, as if it say `don't worry; I'm here.'

“We'll get Cliff back,” Albel whispered in his ear. He reflected for a moment. Had he told Fayt about Nel and Maria yet? No, he hadn't. He pulled Fayt away, in the opposite direction Cliff had gone. They walked together for a while, until they came to a place where there were no people around. Albel turned and kissed Fayt briefly. “Nel and Maria know.”

Fayt's eyes opened wide. “What?” he squeaked.

Albel kissed him again. Fayt was still half-panicked though. “Relax. They're helping.”

“With what?”

“Maria was the one who put us in the same room, worm. It was Nel who made you jealous.” Albel raised an eyebrow. “Helping.”

“And they'll help with Cliff too? What about Sophia and Mirage, though?”

“They're helping with that too.”

Fayt felt his hopes rise. “Really?”

“Mm-hmm.”

The Earthling suddenly felt good about their relationship. Not having to hide it… Nel and Maria didn't care that they were all male, and they were even helping. Fayt was so overcome with joy that he threw his arms around the Elicoorian and kissed him—hard and passionate. He broke away. Albel's fingers trailed suggestively along Fayt's spine. Fayt ignored it. He had some more questions he wanted answered, and he refused to be deterred. “So when you were in Nel's room…?”
“We were talking about what to do about you and Cliff. Nel knew you were there, so we put on a little act for you to get you to stop eavesdropping.”

Fayt scowled a bit, kissed Albel again, and asked another question, “What about when we were at Sphere?”

Albel shrugged noncommittally. “Pretty much the same. I was telling Nel about what had happened, and then she said she wanted to help.”

“But you two seemed so close.”

Albel kissed Fayt briefly. “Wouldn't you be grateful to someone who just volunteered to help you in a dismal situation?”

“So you don't hate her anymore?”

Albel chuckled and kissed Fayt again, a long kiss this time. “How could I hate someone who helped me get you back, and is helping with our other problems too?”

Fayt smiled and locked his lips on Albel's again. They kissed for so long that even the nearby birds felt embarrassed to be near. Fayt moaned, reaching one of his hands into the slit on Albel's skirt. The other groaned, then realized something and let go of Fayt. He danced out of his grip, shaking his head. “No; we'll both smell like semen for the rest of the day.” Probably longer. No telling when they'd get to stop for a bath next.

Fayt scowled. “But… I'm already…”

Albel glanced down. He smiled. “Well, then.” He looked around and pulled Fayt down a darker alley, gently pushed him against a wall. He kneeled down, unbuttoning and unzipping Fayt's shorts. He pulled out his erection. Fayt panted with need. Albel touched the tip with his tongue, rolling his tongue over the head, teasing Fayt. He gave a sucking kiss to the head, and drew more of him in to his mouth. He took a deep breath and pushed all the way to the base, swallowing deeply. His eyes watered slightly. He breathed inward. Fayt moaned, throbbing. Albel drew his head back, working up some more saliva in his mouth with his tongue. He coated him completely, sliding his saliva over Fayt, spreading it with his tongue. He nibbled gently. Fayt's hand touched the side of Albel's face.

Albel trailed his fingertips along Fayt's testicles. Fayt bit his lip to keep from crying out. He was so sensitive. He cupped them, kneading them gently as he pushed Fayt to the back of his throat again. He forced him down farther. His lips touched Fayt's blue pubic hair. Fayt let out a deep, throaty moan. He panted heavily. He jerked his hips, thrusting in to Albel's mouth. Albel gagged, but didn't pull back. He moved his tongue, and his hand. Fayt groaned one last time. Albel swallowed the hot, watery semen. Not a drop spilled from his mouth. He pulled back, one last lick to the head, cleaning it off.

Albel straightened. Fayt looked flushed. He was leaning heavily against the wall, and didn't seem inclined to move. Albel fixed Fayt's shorts, as Fayt was making no move to do so. When Fayt recovered, they took a walk to a store; Fayt's throat was horribly dry from all the panting and Albel wanted something cold to soothe his throat.

They returned in time for lunch.

Sophia glanced from Mackwell, in the background poring over a book, to Albel, who was sitting at the table more poking at the plate of food than actually eating it. “Is it just me or do Albel and Mackwell look really similar?” she wondered aloud.

Nel looked up and looked at one and then the other. “They really do look just alike,” she commented.

“I think it's their hair and eyes,” Mirage said.

“Buffoons,” Albel snorted. No one paid him any heed. It's really the only way to handle him sometimes.

Maria frowned in thought. “There are differences though.”

“Like what?” Cliff wondered. “Dye their hair and have them switch outfits. So long as they kept their mouths shut, you'd never be able to tell the difference.”

Albel felt mildly offended at this. “Mildly” hardly described the situation though. His claw dug in to the table. Wood splintered. Everyone very calmly lifted their plates and glasses off of the table and took a step or two away from it. Cliff started to get up and run as soon as he realized that he was in potential danger. Too late. Albel flipped the table at Cliff. The table hit him in the back and crushed him flat. Albel, still angry, stomped on the table, grinding Cliff further in to floor. Cliff groaned and muttered something under his breath about Albel being a “little bitch.” This was doing nothing to help their situation with Cliff, by the way. Fayt sighed. Albel needed to learn to control his temper, and Cliff needed to learn not to provoke the Glyphian.

“Maggot,” Albel snarled, hopping off of the table. He slammed the door on his way out. Business as usual. Mirage righted the table. Everyone sat back down as if nothing had ever happened. Cliff complained, but no one listened to him, as he should really know better by now and thus it was his own fault anyway. Conversation resumed.

Fayt shook his head. “I disagree. Mackwell looks more dismal, and Albel looks mean. Albel's hair is also a little longer in the front too.”

“Mackwell has better posture,” Maria added.

“But they do look disturbingly similar,” Sophia pressed. The others all agreed, with the exception of a certain swordsman who was no longer present to be disagreeable.

“I feel as though I should be offended,” Mackwell commented as he walked past them, outside to continue reading, where it was quiet and he didn't have to hear others compare him to “Albel the Wicked.”

After lunch, they went back to honing their weapons, this time with synthesis. This took a good long time, and it was getting dark by the time they were finished with all of them. Albel came back sometime during this time, so they improved his weapon as well. They discussed briefly if they should continue to the Shrine, but everyone was tired anyway, so they didn't. It was decided that they would set out in the morning, first thing.

Nel played her role well and assigned the rooms, pointing out that they had limited space because of injured runologists.

Nel pretended to think. “Sophia and Mirage, Cliff and Fayt… Albel and Maria, then? Are you two both all right with that arrangement?” Nel had her own room, so she wasn't even an option.
“I don't care,” Albel replied.

Maria shrugged. “Doesn't matter to me.”

Cliff's expression was one of a typical father when he discovers his daughter's roommate is a male, and, worse yet, a male he knows to be promiscuous and good-looking—the worst kind. “No. Absolutely not,” he snapped.

Maria scowled. “Cliff, I'm perfectly old enough—“

“No. Albel, you room with Fayt. I'll stay with Maria.”

She ground her teeth in fury. “Cliff—“

Mirage stepped in, like the mild-mannered mother who trusts her daughter to make the right decision and sees nothing wrong with her sharing a room with a guy. “Cliff, Maria is old enough and mature enough to make her own decisions. Don't worry about it.”

Behind Mirage, Albel grinned at Cliff. Cliff looked as though he were having trouble deciding whether he wanted to pound Albel in to a flan pudding or drown him in a pool of his own blood.

Fortunately, Mirage stood adamantly between them. Albel glanced at Maria, giving her a very obvious once-over that she didn't notice, as she was turned talking to Sophia about something unimportant, like the weather. Cliff's fingers curled in to fists. Pounding the little whore into a pudding, he decided, would relieve more tension. Albel smirked. He rocked back on his heels, glancing at Maria again. Just to add the one snowflake to the mountain that caused the avalanche, he moved his hands about chest high, then lowered them to waist, putting them closer together, then hip-length farther apart again—Maria's measurements. He lifted his eyebrows in the time-old gesture that for some reason men make to indicate that they appreciate whatever body they are looking at. Albel; quite the instigator.

Cliff saw all of this and attempted to lunge at Albel viciously with the intent of a very bloody, painful homicide. Mirage held him back, but barely. “Cliff, trust Maria!”

“I do trust Maria!” Cliff growled. “I don't trust him!”

Albel sneered. Maria scowled, set her gun to “stun” instead of “kill” and shot Cliff squarely in the chest. Cliff fell down and with a second shot, stayed down. Maria marched over to him, pointing the gun at his face in case he decided to try to lunge at Albel again. “And you don't think I can protect myself? Come now.”

Albel scowled. Cliff argued, Maria and Mirage argued back. It is useless to describe their conversation, as it sounds just like any other anti-male-roommate conversation that a father figure might have with the mother figure and the daughter figure.

Finally, the blonde relented, steaming. Albel smirked at him, but stayed what he judged to be a healthy distance away nevertheless. Cliff stared, furiously, as Albel and Maria walked off together to their room. Once they arrived there, Maria giggled safely behind the door.

“That worked out well, don't you think?” she asked Albel.

He hid a smile by turning his back to her. Cliff's reaction had been hilarious—really, it was too perfect. He took a deep breath and turned back around, relaxed. “Yes. What was your idea?”

She settled in to business-mode that was her normal self. “Well, when we go down to the Sacred Orb, there's an area that might be difficult to traverse with a large group—you'll understand when we get there—but Nel and I can arrange it so that you, Fayt, and Cliff get a bit behind the rest of us.” She raised an eyebrow. “Gives you some time to yourselves you might not get for a while. Sound all right?”

“Yes. Anything else?” Albel was actually glad that Nel and Maria were helping him so much. He didn't do the “networking” and “building relationships” thing very well, and he certainly didn't know anything about this. If not for them, well, things wouldn't be improving.

She nodded again. “Talk to Fayt before you go down there, see how things went with Cliff tonight. If things go badly…”

Fayt tried not to stare at Cliff. He tried very hard and even almost valiantly. He locked his eyes on the dark ceiling and adamantly refused to stare at anything else. The issue was that, sort of like dangling off the edge of a cliff, his eyes kept slipping away, but away from the ceiling instead of safety. His eyes slipped from the rather uninteresting ceiling and fell to the blonde in the bed across from him, and it was much easier to let his eyes rest there, thoughts of what they had done before in this same room flickering in his mind.

The Klausian had his back to him, but he could feel Fayt staring at him on occasion. Neither of them were able to sleep; they were just too restless and too many thoughts careened psychotically in their heads.

Cliff was seriously thinking about his conversation with Fayt this morning, and about how much they had hurt Albel the day before, and how the Elicoorian saw the entire situation. Apparently, Albel had converted Fayt to his manner of thinking, to an extent anyway.

He still wasn't certain about this. He had mixed feelings about the entire matter. Half of him wanted to be with the other two, and half of him screamed warnings in his head about going down that path. Both made valid arguments and it ended in a deadlock, like two equally matched warring nations, each afraid to pounce because neither had an advantage over the other, which left him feeling uneasy with tension.

He also worried about Maria, alone in a room with Albel. A part of him was overcome with jealousy, and the other part just didn't like them alone together. At all.

Fayt wanted to try to say something, but was held back by fear. He wasn't certain if speaking to Cliff would be beneficial right now. Cliff might need some more time to think about things, and he didn't want to try too soon.

He waited for some time. By the way Cliff kept shifting, he could see that he wasn't asleep in the least. Maybe he should go ahead and go for it. Why not?

Fayt lifted his head a bit. “Cliff…”

“Yeah?”

“About this morning—what we talked about earlier, I mean…” Fayt took a deep breath and continued. “I want the three of us to be together again.”

Cliff pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fayt?”

“Yes?”

“Shut up.”

Fayt fell silent dejectedly. He rolled over. He needed some way to fall asleep, so he thought about sheep. He thought about sheep on farms. He thought about sheep in fields. He thought about different colors of sheep, and different colors of wool from sheep. He thought about prices of wool from sheep, and wool sweaters, and sheep skin coats. He thought about sheep eating grass. He thought about sheep birthing in spring, and ewes. He thought about… The subject was so boring that he fell asleep.

Cliff was not thinking about sheep, so he hadn't bored himself to sleep. He was thinking about Fayt and Albel, like he had been trying to do when Fayt had tried to talk to him. He wasn't done thinking quite yet, weighing the pros and cons. The issue was more the subject matter than the actual topic he was trying to think about. Perhaps it was because Fayt and Albel were central to his thoughts, but he often started thinking about Fayt and Albel naked, beneath him, together, sweat-drenched, messy, and panting. It was distracting in the extreme and slightly annoying because it kept him from seriously thinking about the subject at hand, which was that he needed to decide if he wanted to be with them. And then the cycle would start all over again.

Should I go back to the way things were before all this started? Just keep my distance? Or should I go back to the two of them, and the way things were then? Having sex a lot, trying to be quiet, trying to be careful, hiding…

And then his thoughts would slip to the dark depths of perversion and get seriously off-track.

He was reasonably certain that Fayt and Albel had reconnected. He felt a surge of jealousy, and a deep, carnal urge to go to them too. Visions of Fayt, innocent eyes wide, in a field of green grass, buttercups, and daisies haunted him. Sunlight playing on his skin, and he was naked. Delicious really. Looked like a nymph. The ones of Albel were worse. It may have been his more promiscuous nature, but instead of a picture of innocence, it was dark desire and lust. Albel naked, chained up like he had been down in the dungeon, looking at him, panting, such a look of savage undiluted lust on his face that…

Albel… Maria!

That jolted him awake. Albel, you little whore, he thought angrily. Had he really had sex with Nel? Cliff wouldn't put it past him. Then what about Maria? He couldn't stand wondering. So far, it looked as though the captain of the Black Brigade had seduced anyone he was alone in a room with. He was alone in a room with Maria--his boss and practically his adopted daughter--right now.

Cliff couldn't stand it anymore. He slid quietly out of bed. He wriggled his feet in to his shoes and pulled on his shirt. He glanced at Fayt.

“Cliff…” Fayt murmured. He paused, but Fayt sighed, turned, and settled again. “Sheep,” Fayt said matter-of-factly. Dreaming? Cliff stared at him, indecision coursing through him. He really wanted to crawl in to bed with Fayt right now. He let the feeling go like so much unneeded baggage. He shouldn't. But he still walked over to Fayt. Fayt's face wrinkled a little. “Mm…”

Cliff kissed his lips—too soft to wake Fayt. He pulled back and straightened. A wispy sigh escaped Fayt's lips, and he smiled softly in his sleep. Why had he done that? Cliff felt like kicking himself. Stupid! He was getting involved again, and he was beginning to develop emotional attachments. Stupid!

He shook it off and walked out the door. He strode down the hall to where Maria and Albel's room was.

Meanwhile…

Albel had his back to Maria, facing the wall. She was partway undressing—which meant that she was removing her white back skirt, the holster, and her mini jacket. Albel had taken the gauntlet, the collar, his sword, and his shirt off. Maria seemed unfettered by him being half-naked, explaining that she had grown up around a lot of guys.

Albel heard someone at the door, angry footsteps marking who they were. He heard the knob turn. Instincts took over. The angry someone would throw the door open and it would hit Maria. He grabbed her arm. She gave a cry of surprise as he hurled her backward. Automatically and without thinking, she snatched his wrist, pulling him with her. The two tumbled on to the bed, Albel landing on top. It was the worst possible thing that could have happened, for it was Cliff who had thrown the door open.

“It's not what it looks like!” Maria cried.

Albel wheeled away from Maria. He fell down on the other bed, a look of shocked horror on his face. He looked at Cliff, but couldn't think of anything to say. Maria said, “Cliff, that was an accident! He pulled me away from the door so it wouldn't hit me—that's all!”

But Cliff had none of it. They were both half-naked (well, Maria was still wearing half her outfit, but she wore a lot of layers, so half-naked-ish), on a bed. Cliff's fingers curled in to fists. His chest heaved with ire. Like an enraged bull, he charged at Albel despite Maria's pleas. Albel's body reacted to it and he dove to the side instinctively. His mind was still preoccupied as it puzzled over what to do.

Maria stepped between them. Albel glanced at his sword, and his gauntlet, which were lying together, behind Cliff. “Albel, run!” she cried. He judged that he probably wouldn't make it to the sword before the Klausian got a hold of him—and once he had a hold on him, it was all over. Cliff shoved her aside. It gave Albel enough time to dart through the door. He grabbed the door handle on his way past, trusting his momentum to slam the door closed. Cliff threw the door off its hinges and tore off after him, powered by a couple different types of rage. Part of him was angry over what he had seen, in the way a father would be bloody pissed. But another part was outraged because Albel had been his. He wasn't sure which of those types of rage made him want to bury Albel alive, and frankly, didn't care.

Maria sighed and stomped back to Diplo to get some things to fix the door.

He saw the door to the chapel slam ominously closed. He ran through. Albel was fast. He was already to the far side, throwing open another door, and rushing through it. Cliff wasn't tricked. He knew where that door led. He turned and ran down the hall. He nearly collided with Albel. Albel yelped in surprise, backpedaled, and spun around. He tore up the stairs, eyes wide with fright. He had absolutely no doubt in his mind that Cliff would tear him limb from limb if he caught him before his rage subsided. Albel didn't have his sword, or even his claw. He knew he couldn't hope to beat Cliff without a weapon of some sort, so had to rely on speed and endurance. With any luck, he would outrun him and Cliff would give up the chase.

He chanced a glance behind him. Cliff was gaining on him on the stairs. Albel sped up and wheeled around the corner. He broke out in a sprint, and dashed down the opposite stair. Cliff followed like a blood hound.

Albel heard Cliff come rushing down the stairs. He glanced upwards, cringing inwardly. He tripped on the next stair and tumbled down the last four steps. He shakily climbed to his feet, glanced at Cliff, now only a few feet behind him, and sped off again.

He raced out of the castle, bounded down the steps and fled in to the city. Cliff was right behind him, chasing him relentlessly. Albel took a wild, crazy, careening path, and still Cliff was right behind him. Just give up already!

He skidded to a stop when he saw what was in front of him. The river. He glanced to both sides. No escape. No way to go. He glanced at the water nervously, then back at Cliff. He turned to face him. Cliff calmly walked up to him and stood about ten feet away. He had nothing to lose by keeping his distance for now; Albel had no where left to run.

“Cliff, it was an accident,” Albel said flatly. “That's all. I'm not interested in Maria.” He stared Cliff down the way someone tries to stare down a rabid dog.

Cliff moved forward. “That's not what it looked like.”

“I pulled her away from the door when you threw it open so she wouldn't get hit with it. She fell on to the bed, and had grabbed me when she fell, so I fell with her,” he explained. “Cliff, you idiot, I'm really only interested in two people.” Albel didn't have to say who those two people were.

Suddenly, all of Cliff's rage dissipated. The long run helped. Just as suddenly, his suspicion returned. “What about Nel?”

Albel shook his head. “Nothing. I've never done anything like that with that woman either—and I won't.” Please, Cliff, listen.

Cliff took a step forward. Albel automatically backed up. He heard a pebble skitter and hit the water below. “How can I trust you?”

“Ask Maria. Ask Nel.” Albel looked at Cliff, right into his eyes. “Ask Fayt.”

Cliff took another step forward. Albel was just within arm's reach. “And wouldn't they lie to help you?”

Albel was at a loss as to how to get out of this situation. Nothing he was saying seemed to be helping. He just wasn't good at this. He searched his mind, body, and soul, and all that returned for a what-to-do scenario was this: “????” Damned useful indeed. Fayt could do it though. Fayt could talk his way out of this situation and get Cliff to see reason. A thought struck him. What would Fayt say? “You can trust me,” Albel insisted. “I won't lie to you. I want you and Fayt, not Maria or Nel.” He cocked his head to the side. “You want me and Fayt, don't you?”

Cliff faltered. He hadn't been prepared for that. He glanced away. Yes, he did. But… Albel gave an unexpected gasp of surprise and alarm. Cliff's gaze snapped back to the Glyphian swordsman. The earth Albel had been standing on hadn't been very sturdy to begin with, and had crumbled. He saw Albel begin to fall into the water. He had about a two-foot plunge before he would fall in. Cliff lunged forward, grabbing Albel's outstretched hand. He hauled him back, away from the water. He steadied him with a hand around his waist. He pulled Albel with him, away from the edge.

Cliff suddenly realized that Albel was in his arms again. He sighed resignedly and pulled him against his chest. The other closed his eyes contentedly. This was not how he had been expecting this evening to end, and it was very welcome. Much better than fleeing for his life or getting ripped to pieces and buried alive. Especially over something stupid.

Albel would have been content to spend the rest of the evening like that. Sex would have been nice, but this was fulfilling. Had Cliff relented? Had he decided that the decision to “disband” was stupid? Did he agree with him now? Albel's fingers curled in to Cliff's shirt. He just never wanted to move, and actually felt content like this. If Fayt were here too, he could say he was happy, but he would settle for this. After all, he had thought he had lost Cliff too. But perhaps not? He listened to the Klausian's heartbeat and breathed in his unique scent. Don't let go of me again.

Cliff just couldn't. Not yet. He still had to think about this. Yes, he wanted Albel and Fayt. But what about Mirage? What about Maria? And Diplo and Quark too? He needed more time. He took a deep breath before he pushed Albel sadly away.

The blonde turned away from the other, and left him standing at the riverside alone and dejected. Albel's whole body trembled. He felt his knees going weak. Cliff had rejected him… really rejected him. Slowly, he sunk to his knees. He continued to tremble slightly, little tremors racking his body, but he never cried.

He wished Cliff had just hit him instead.

When Maria heard Cliff return, she wondered about Albel. When half an hour went by and Albel still hadn't returned, she jumped out of bed and put her shoes on. She left her room and knocked on Nel's door. She explained what had happened. Nel nodded; she had heard the chase. The two went out in the night looking for Albel.

They found him by the river, sitting alone, staring at the water, his knees against his chest, his arms wrapped around his legs—the universal posture that indicated depression of some sort. He didn't seem to be hurt, at least not physically.

“Albel?” Nel called softly. He didn't respond. She raised her voice a little. “Albel?” She came a little closer to him. Maria followed her. “Won't you come back to the castle?”

Still no answer. Maria frowned. “Albel…”

“Go away,” he snapped. “Leave me alone for a while.”

Nel's gaze softened. Something really bad must have transpired—and something personal too. Instinctively, she wanted to hug him, but knew that that would be received as warmly as a bikini in a snowstorm. “All right. You won't leave us, will you?”

He shook his head.

“He wants to be alone for a while. Let's leave him be,” Maria said quietly. She glanced back at Abel. “But if you don't come back in a few hours, we'll come and drag you back. You shouldn't stay out all night; it'll be a long day tomorrow.”

Albel sighed, but said nothing. The two girls left worriedly. Maria and Nel came across Fayt in the hallway on their way back. Brilliant!

Fayt looked at them sleepily. “Why are you two up?” he wondered blearily.

“Why are you up?” Maria countered.

“Water,” he muttered, holding up a cup of water briefly. He took a sip.

Nel stepped forward. “Fayt, something happened with Cliff and Albel. Albel is down by the river on the west side of town… He seems really upset about something,” she hinted.

Fayt's face etched with concern. “On the west side? I'll go see him.” Fayt put the cup down in his room and marched off to the spot specified. Albel hadn't moved.

“Albel?” he wondered. He walked over to him. “Hey…”

“Not now, Fayt. Leave me alone.”

Fayt was a bit taken back, then he relented. Albel wanted to be alone. He should respect the other's wishes. “Oh… Okay. Maria and Nel said you were down here alone, and I… was worried about you…”

“I'll tell you about it later, maggot. But leave me alone for now.”

Fayt shivered in the cold night air and realized Albel was wearing even less than usual. He sighed and walked all the way back to the castle. He knocked on Maria's door, took the blanket from Albel's bed, and walked back down to Albel with it. He didn't say anything, but he wrapped the blanket around Albel's shoulders. He hugged him briefly and left. Albel pulled the blanket a little closer around him.

Fayt glanced back at him. He was worried about Albel. What could make him so sullen? It had something to do with Cliff; that much he knew. But what had happened? It must have been something really bad for him to act like that. Fayt resolved to double his efforts on Cliff. He wondered if he had done the right thing by leaving him alone, then decided that if he had stayed, his lover would just be angry. He sighed, rolled over, and went to sleep worrying about him.

Albel stared at the river, watching the water swirl around the rocks, listening to the burble of the water. It was sort of comforting that Fayt had come down here, and even brought him back the blanket. It didn't quite make up for what Cliff had done earlier, but it helped.

At least he still had Fayt. Cliff may never come around. But he still had Fayt. It was only half of what he wanted though.