Vaan watched as Balthier continually flirted with Fran and Ashe. Never caring to steal a look at him. Always making him feel so small, even though by night by night they would share their own little world together. It just hurt him that Balthier had the nerve to go do that, whenever Vaan talked to Balthier alone on the subject it would just end with a fight. Something Vaan hated to do so much. As Balthier stood they're having the full intentions of not making Vaan feel like total shit. Failed and when they failed things never went well for a while. They were in the middle of an endless expanse of desert, very little water left. While Balthier gave his water to the girls, Vaan tried to offer his to Balthier but Balthier only shooed it away. Balthier thought "I would take it dear but I don't need you fainting on me again. No not like last time." Vaan sighed and said, "I'm leaving…" Balthier jumping to a conclusion said "Oh stop it you know you that if you leave at every little thing. Nothing good is ever going to happen." Vaan said "Don't try me you god forsaken jerk. When you see the one you love hanging around others. Then only coming to you when you're alone. I just fucking had enough of it. Good bye I hope I never see you again."
"Two years have past and I haven't seen that boy…" Balthier thought. Balthier had been in the town over two years. He never ended up finding the one thing that he wanted most , which was Vaan, Penolo knew what had been going on and so did Fran, Basch. A tall figure with blonde hair and the same face as Vaan brushed past him. Balthier caught a passing glance at the other male. He suddenly knew that it was Vaan. He didn't say anything as he just made his way through the crowds of people. For it was soon to be Lady Ashe inauguration. So people were busy getting presents for the queen they were also getting ready for the great feast that would be have. Ashe had made it very clear to her new servants that she wanted her whole kingdom to be apart of it. Not just the rich and the ones lucky enough.
It had been years after the fall of the army. So now it was Ashe and someone else turn to rule the once rich and peace full land. Balthier kept on following the other male, when Vaan finally turned to Balthier and said, " Why are you following me? I thought you were supposed to be there with Ashe?" Balthier said, "I turned down her offer. Where have you been for two years?" Vaan looked at Balthier with a fleeting hope that maybe things would be all right again before saying "Away far away from you and your hellish life. Your fake romance lost its charm. I never need you any more. I just hope you ill will and hope you go find a hole to go die in." Balthier grimaced and said nothing turning around, holding back the tears that were wanting to run down his face. Balthier slunk into a near by alleyway and decided that it would be best to go do as Vaan had said. For really he didn't know what his life would be without the other male.
Balthier stayed in that forsaken alleyway for the next few days. Till Fran finally found him passed out smelling like a dead limp decaying body. Balthier woke up back on the ship, smelling much better and only in boxers. "Who the fuck found me?" He asked. Vaan hiding in the dark recesses of the room said, "Fran… and I get stuck fucking watching you. You know your such a dammed asshole." Balthier said, "Oh will you just get out of here. My head has finally stopped pounding and your not going to help it at all." Vaan smiled to him self and said nothing. He didn't want anything to be known to Balthier that he had to stay. "You know you hurt your self rather badly. The mice were already starting to eat your skin. Your rather lucky Fran found you when she did. You most likely would have been rat's food if you had stayed there any longer." Balthier soon felt a lump in the back of his throat. "Thanks a fuck load Vaan… now I feel fucking shittier then I had before."
"There's a bucket next to the bed if you need it." Vaan whispered grimly. Balthier quickly picked it up before throwing up the very little food he had. Which had lot more blood then vomit, Balthier threw up three more times. Before the lump was totally gone. Which worried Vaan slightly not that he would show it to that heartless man who stole his heart never returning it after two years. Fran came in to a rather sad sight, Balthier looked awful. He never looked this bad before, blood though it was very little was still seeping out of his mouth and out of some of the deeper flesh wounds from the ruthless head hunters. Who thought they found their mark dead. "Move the bucket." Fran said sharply. "And roll on your side so your back is up." Balthier said nothing as he slowly did that. Fran started cleaning the wounds again before wrapping them up in new cleaner bandages. The only sounds that were emitted were Balthier's small cries of pain from the cleaning solution and the fact his whole body burned. Balthier soon found him self-fighting the urge to sleep, he wanted to stay up he wanted to know that the other male wouldn't be leaving. That some things would become ok once again. But Balthier knew that it was pointless to hope, for two years ago this day it was his fault he driven him away.
Why would anyone want someone like himself? Balthier thought and the more he thought about it the more and more apparent it became to Fran and Vaan. Who were watching him curl his hands into tight fists causing blood to be drawn, they were the ones who could hear those ever-soft cries. They were the ones watching him eat him self ever so slowly from the inside out. The two standing by that were watching so dearly wanted to do something to take away that pain and suffering. As he nails dug deeper into his skin more and more blood dripped the white sheets he was under was now partly red, Vaan wanted to reach out but knew it would be a bad idea after this Vaan swore never to leave his lover ever again. Just seeing him like this made Vaan break down inside.
Vaan wanted to just tell him that everything would be ok. That he wanted Balthier back holding him tightly, knowing and now seeing how Balthier reacted to him leaving. Made Vaan wish more then ever that he never said those words. Suddenly Balthier felt cold calming hands on his back, rubbing it ever so gently kneading the taught and strung out muscles on his shoulders making them feel so limp and great. Just the feel of someone else's fingers on his body was enough to set him into a nice peaceful drift for a few hours at least. The next time he woke up he woke up to Vaan sitting next to him playing with something between his fingers. "You know Balthier you should cut back on the food you keep getting heavier." Vaan said smiling and joking.
Balthier noticed that he was now in his normal clothes and had rings and bracelets on and everything else. Balthier smiled at the other male happily pulling him in for a long awaited and a long needed kiss. Vaan let the other male do what ever he wanted. Vaan wanted him as much as Balthier wanted Vaan. The two were quite happy with each other. Balthier looked at Vaan and watched as he undressed again. Laying down on the bed waiting for his lover to go back to work. Which Balthier did, the two were very content. Just like old times the two of them thought. The next time Balthier and Vaan woke up was the next day. The two were intertwined their legs crossing over each other. They were very happy and content with each other; Fran came in to see Balthier yawn and woke up Vaan. Vaan jumped up and said "WHAT FRAN WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU IN HERE?" Balthier smacked Vaan and said "She always comes in here in the early hours of the day. Vaan blushed deeply and hid under the covers. "Shy are we Vaan?" Fran asked. Balthier answered for him "He doesn't like other people seeing his body. Weird thing… well my arm is going to die so yeah…." Fran sighed as she was standing over Vaan. She closed her eyes picked him up bridal style. Letting Balthier remove his hand, which he did. Vaan out of habit just bite down on Fran, causing Fran to drop him and said Fran glared at the Vaan who was hiding under the covers clinging to Balthier.
Balthier sighed and said "Why does everyone cling and whine at me for things I have no control over?" Fran and Vaan start cracking up, Fran ears start going straight up which means Fran is a happy content Fran. Fran was very happy and enjoying this greatly. " Does anyone want to go in the town to have food?" Fran asked. Balthier and Vaan perked their heads up when the word food was mentioned. "You two go get dressed and ready. I have to take a shower." Fran said. Leaving the two alone to get dressed, which they did after they stole there good morning kiss. The two were dressed and ready Fran came back in and said, "You two ready!" The two males nodded smiling and holding hands. Balthier hand linked with Fran's too, the group was ready to leave. They all left to go have a nice breakfast, Penolo saw Vaan and ran over to the group. They all smiled, Vaan got tackled and kissed and loved by Penolo. Balthier helped him up; the group re linked hands and went on to get food. Two hours later and twenty-seven plates later the boys were stuffed.
Fran got stuck paying for the tab which was half of her own money mind you seeming as the two boys went for a stroll to walk off. Which meant that the two were having a race back to the Strahl. As the two were doing their normal race a very pretty sight caught both males eyes. A very pretty pretty pretty rings. It was gleaming and shining in the sunlight of the early morning there were two left one blue and one white. Balthier smiled at Vaan as the two males bought their rings. Vaan put on his blue one; Balthier added the white one to his collection of rings. This one sparkling and gleaming much more then the others, the two took the long way back to the ship. The very long way, the two were just chatting about things here or there. As the two males passed the Sandsea they went into to see if there were any good hunts to be had. Balthier was in the mood to go fight something and Vaan wanted to show the other male about how good he had became with his sword. They found a suitable hard mark. They were happy as the two of them found the rest of the group. The group suiting up to go to battle, after hunting through the desert for a long time they found the large animal. Within seven hours of finding it the group was dead… well least Fran was. Healing her with a potion Basch said "Lets go out for a drink."
Later that same day, the two males still not having said they fully love each other. But the rest all knew that was a flat out lie, meaning they saw all the looks Balthier had given Vaan and other things.
The two were slightly drunk; well fine they were flat out dead down right tipsy. Balthier falling out of his chair cracking up, Vaan was leaning on Balthier swaying the two were singing out of key badly. Basch, Fran and Ashe and Penolo stared at the two males, they all had been drinking for they had just defeated a deadly mark. Balthier and Vaan being males and the fact they had to have a drinking contest didn't make things much better. Also fact aside that when things like this happened both boys denied the facts even if there were pictures and or video or many people who saw it, Fran sighed as Balthier was feeling up on her leg and drooling all over her, He was feeling up her leg up her chest till he firmly grabbed and groped her boobs. Displaying things that most normal sober people wouldn't do in the middle of public. Suddenly Balthier was spun around hands being taken off Fran. Lips attaching to his only to find they belong to Vaan, their hands are feeling each other up.
SNAP and a flash of a camera could be heard. But the two were so into the moment that they could care less. Balthier had broken the kiss and was now trailing up and down on Vaan's neck. Leaving large marks. Earning loud very loud moans from the other male. Vaan was moaning as Balthier was sucking and licking and nipping the skin on his neck down to his now bare chest. Balthier was now a top of Vaan kissing him, as both males were getting hard. Balthier was sitting on the other male's noticeable lump in his pants, rubbing and moving ever so slightly just enough to get Vaan to scream out loudly in pleasure. Fran and Ashe decided it would be best to step in now before half of the bar was over here. There were a few people who knew each of the males.
Were throwing up in disgust of the scene, Balthier and Vaan were violently ripped apart from each other by Ashe and Fran. The two were protesting trying to grab at each other. Balthier finally broke away from Fran, and got Vaan away from Ashe. The two were kissing each other and tripping down the stairs. Once out the door the two drunks slowly made their way back to the Strahl. Stealing kisses from each other left and right. People were snapping pictures left and right. They never expected something this bad to happen. When they got back on the Strahl Balthier had the other boy pinned down on the pilot seat. Kissing him roughly and playing with him in ways neither of the boys had ever done with the other one.
Vaan was so in the moment that the two only found others when they were there when they both were getting dragged by the legs off to their rooms. The boys caught one last fleeting glance at each other before they were tossed in their rooms. Fran stayed with Balthier and Ashe and Penolo watched over Vaan. Basch said he fend off any fan girls. ((Yes I just said fan girls. You will understand after I type this little note)) In the middle of the night girls were walking through the aerodrome. The girls were looking for the all time famous Strahl. These girls were reporters for their Balthier Vaan club. ((Inside joke.)) Basch was sleeping outside, well not really he noticed the girls coming and noticed that they had a camera. Basch said, "They are sleeping and they were drunk. So go find your yaoi or what ever elsewhere." The girls said "But Basch we want to ask you something since you were there." "Yes?" He said getting idly amused by the girl's antics. "Are they together?" Rose one of the girls asked.
Basch said "No but I agree with you two one this one that it would be rather nice. Seeming as Balthier cannot stop talking about Vaan. But what ever, sorry you two couldn't see em. They are under room arrest. Ashe, Fran and Penolo have had enough of their drunken behaviors. So Fran and Ashe thought it would be best to drag them into their rooms and never let them see each other again." Rose was chuckling happily, she always enjoyed the way Basch was so calm during times like these. Rose and the other girl left. But before they handed Basch two packages one with Balthier's name written on it and the other with Vaan's name on it. He opened the packages up and broke out laughing. There were some rather nice toys in the packages, things that he knew the two boys would enjoy greatly. Soon Basch felt the wave of sleep hit him, he was out like a light.
The next day when Basch woke up the packages were gone and Fran and Ashe were coming back on the ship empty handed. He asked, "The two were really were in love eh?"