Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean 3 or the characters included, Square does. If I did… heh heh heh... XD
Title: Lips of an Angel
AlbelxFayt
Sophia woke to a muffled electronic beeping that resulted in a startled gasp from her lover. She looked at the alarm clock beside the bed to see the time, and discovered it was only 2:38 a.m. She rolled over on her side to face her childhood friend.
"Fayt? What's wrong? Did Cliff call, or something?"
"...Don't worry about it... okay? Just get some sleep," he replied quietly as he crawled out of bed. He tugged on a pair of pajama pants and walked toward the door, grabbing his communicator on the way out.
Sophia watched Fayt drag himself out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him. When she heard him plop down in the next room, she crawled out of bed and slipped on a house robe and some slippers, and followed Fayt. The door to the next room was slightly open, so she sad beside the doorway in the dark little hall, listening to a conversation she had been half-expecting to hear for a long time.
//Honey why you calling me so late?
It's kinda hard to talk right now
Honey why are you crying? Is everything okay?
I gotta whisper 'cause I can't be too loud//
Sophia had been concerned at first when she saw Fayt crying while they were making love, but it didn't take her long to realize what was wrong. She had noticed for some time that Fayt wasn't seeing her when he looked at her— he saw what he used to have, but gave up for a "normal" life. Sobbing quietly in his sleep and sadly whimpering the name "Albel" over and over left no room for doubt.
//Well, my girl's in the next room
Sometimes I wish she was you
I guess we never really moved on
It's really good to hear your voice saying my name
It sounds so sweet
Coming from the lips of an angel
Hearing those words it makes me weak
And I never wanna say goodbye
But girl you make it hard to be faithful
With the lips of an angel//
Sophia remembered very clearly her stay on Elicoor II. By the time she had joined the group, Albel was already there. She immediately noticed the distinct change in her childhood friend. All the shy, affectionate glances they thought were hidden so well were completely obvious to her. It took her a while to accept it, but how could she object? They loved each other, she could tell. Whether they voiced their feelings or not, she wasn't completely sure. One night in Airyglyph she had been feeling nostalgic, so she decided to drop in on Fayt, in hopes of reminiscing of the past. When she reached to door to his room, she heard soft whispers, words barely formed for lack of breath. His lover's name fell from Fayt's lips in a voice full of love, "Albel..." After hearing such a thing, Sophia rushed back to her room at the inn, and avoided Fayt and Albel for the following few days.
//It's funny that you're calling me tonight
And, yes, I've dreamt of you too
And does he know you're talking to me?
Will it start a fight?
No I don't think she has a clue//
The battle with the Creator was a incredibly intense, both physically and emotionally. Learning that their lives were just someone else's game and then going against the one that had brought them into existence took a heavy toll on everyone. When they woke up on Elicoor after the battle, they discussed what had occurred and how they were still alive. Everyone went their separate ways. Mirage went back to the dojo; Cliff took over Quark; Adray went searching for a husband for his daughter; Peppita went back to the performing troupe; Roger went back to his lackeys in Surferio; Nel returned to Arias; Maria left to travel; Sophia returned to Earth. She remembered that day plainly. Maria sent her to go get Fayt, because the ship was about to leave. When she found him in the deserted church in Airyglyph, he had tears streaming down his face as he clung desperately to Albel, embracing his lover one last time. "I love you..." his voice cracked as he whispered sadly. Sophia left the church to return to the ship, and was joined by Fayt a little while after.
//Well my girl's in the next room
Sometimes I wish she was you
I guess we never really moved on
It's really good to hear your voice saying my name
It sounds so sweet
Coming from the lips of an angel
Hearing those words it makes me weak
And I never wanna say goodbye
But girl you make it hard to be faithful
With the lips of an angel//
Sophia listened as the reminisced about old times, like when Albel showed up in Fayt's room one night to "test his aim" by stabbing Fayt's pillow with his sword. Fayt's sad, wistful attempts at laughter stabbed at her heart. They talked about Albel's tortured past, his life in Kirlsa, Woltar, King Airyglyph, everything. Sophia peeked in the room just enough to see Fayt's crestfallen expression. The sad sight and heavy realization in her heart brought tears to her eyes, and she sobbed silently, leaning against the wall.
//It's really good to hear your voice saying my name
It sounds so sweet
Coming from the lips of an angel
Hearing those words it makes me weak
And I never wanna say goodbye
But girl you make it hard to be faithful
With the lips of an angel
And I never wanna say goodbye
But girl you make it hard to be faithful
With the lips of an angel
Honey why you calling me so late?//
Sophia listened as they said their reluctant goodbyes, and stood up as she heard Fayt trudging toward to door. When he saw her standing there crying, Fayt's face showed absolute panic.
"Sophia... What are you doing?" he asked in a broken, panicked voice. "What did you hear?"
"Nothing I didn't already know. I heard everything, Fayt," her voice was shaken with quiet sobs.
"Sophia, I-" Fayt reached out to her but she immediately back away.
"Don't try to explain, I already know. I've known all this time..." They both looked away, overcome with a terrible sadness.
"Fayt," she started, to get his attention.
"Yes?" he looked up to meet her gaze.
"Go to him," she whispered with a sad smile on her face.
"What?" Fayt's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You heard me," Sophia replied. "Go to him. You need him, Fayt, and he needs you. So... just go," she finished as a new onslaught of tears washed over her face.
"Sophia..." Fayt whispered as he brought her into a tight hug. "Thank you so much," he cried into her shoulder. Sophia returned the hug then pulled away.
"Now... go call Maria or Cliff or whoever, and get you butt over to Elicoor II. Go give Albel a nice surprise," she said with as playful a tone as she could manage after so much crying.
Her childhood friend grinned at her sheepishly and ran off to their bedroom to collect his things and prepare for immediate departure.
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(((This is my first attempt at a fanfic... If it sucked, I'm sorry. Constructive criticism is always welcome. The lime or lemon or whatever I make the next chapter will probably be on adultfanfiction . net under the same name. Reviews are much appreciated.
Falbet)))