Dual Desire

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt, HanxLuke

Rating: PG

Summary: Cliff, come on. Fayt didn't really egg your mom on that much to get her to tell that embarassing story. What are you going to do to him to get him back? After that episode, the shit hits the fan for the Dual Desire crew. As they ponder over their futures, Cliff, Fayt, Logan, and Mirage have a special laid-back kinda moment taking in the wonders of Klaus.

Shoutouts: Zelavril - I'm so glad u like the intro to chappy 9. Took alot of time to perfect. The story of the rain really works well with the renewal of Fayt & Cliff's relationship. I actually tried to describe what I heard one day last spring in the woods near my house where i found this secluded pond with millions of water drops falling into it from the trees. It was mesmerizing. I just stood there listening and then someone walked by on the trail and probably thought i was crazy standing on a log in the water with my dog. haha. i liked the contrast of halos & devil's horns on the lake in my story. As for Cliff eating the fruit, the idea was he had moved on so it didn't need to be there anymore. A new one of him & Fayt was forming :) Spectralwings - omg i laughed so hard at the beginning of your ch 9 review! btw, Cliff's friend's name is Logan :D but ya, some characters i don't describe very much so the reader can picture them how they want. if he's in 80's clothes it's all good! I'm SO excited to see your drawing!!! hahah seductive look. i guess that would fit in with A Love on the Sidelines ;) i dunno anything about scanning so i'm no help there :D lol yellow sky for Klaus, i can see that seeing as they all have blond hair

Chapter 10:

After bruises were kissed all better and Natalie's husband had put on a show for the kids on the holovision, the adults moved onto dessert and the interrogation of Fayt Leingod continued.

"So Fayt..." Lois had started again, pausing to point with her fork at the blackberry peach pie she was eating and nodding approvingly to Savannah.

Just as the bluenette was bracing for another prying question, he felt something brush ever so lightly over his right thigh and it made him jump slightly from surprise. Peering downwards out of the corner of his eyes, Fayt saw Cliff's left hand slowly making its way across his thigh and towards his crotch! No one else could see this motion as the table cloth was doing a good job concealing it.

"Cliff!" Fayt hissed under his breath, trying to bat the blond's hand away with his own, all the while pretending nothing was happening by forcing a smile at Lois, who was about to continue her sentence. The Klausian sex god didn't acknowledge Fayt as he persisted in reaching closer to the bluenette's crotch while munching away at his pie.

Lois swallowed and cleared her throat, her expression turning more serious. "...What does it feel like not knowing whether your mother is alive or not and not even having the time to go look for her with these Killers on your tail?"

By now, to Fayt's horror, Cliff was secretly massaging the bluenette's crotch with his errant hand — and even worse, it was starting to feel warm and wonderfully pleasurable down there. Fayt gasped fervidly and then held his breath, his eyes briefly rolling up in their sockets as he gripped tightly onto the sides of his chair with both hands. The colour drained out of his face when he realized that everyone was looking at him now, partially because they were waiting for his response to Lois's question, and partially because he was acting quite strangely.

Cliff's masterful hands were kneading over Fayt's hard-on as the latter opened his mouth to speak breathily, his brain now complete mush and his tongue caught within the bite of his teeth. She wants to know how it feels… "It fee… it feels…SOOO GOOD."

Mouths plummeted all around him like dominos and eyebrows scrunched up like elastic bands as the Fittir family — plus Han and Luke — stared at him in total disbelief, all of them pretty sure that was the last thing they expected him to say. Except for Cliff of course. He was sitting there silently, a dumb grin plastered across his face, his ocean eyes bubbling with lurid laughter.

It took a few seconds for Fayt to register what he had said aloud; and when he did, his eyes immediately widened to the size of peacock-green mangoes and they flitted madly back and forth across the table as he tried to come up with a good explanation for his bewildering response. Rose colours were blossoming in the garden of embarrassment on his face, replacing the wraithlike whiteness of before. Then he suddenly felt the worst possible sensation imaginable...something was building down below...that familiar and intoxicating feeling of sexual climax...he was starting to panic…

Until he forced himself to focus, placed his hand on Cliff's, and mumbled 'Scintilla flame!' to no one in particular. The palm of his sun-kissed hand grew hot with a sorcerous pyre and the blond suddenly cried "OWWW!" and jolted his hand away from Fayt and into his whimpering mouth, where he tried to cool it with saliva from his tongue.

Fayt exhaled in relishing relief and continued breathing deeply to calm his overexcited body. In a desperate bid, he imagined Sophia buck-naked and the blood quickly left his member — she was like a sister to him after all (eww grossness). Then he thought of Albel touching her in an impassioned fashion, like he could be at this very moment, and any iota of horniness withered up and died within him.

"Fayt, are you okay? Your face is a little green — maybe you're getting sick," Savannah finally asked, breaking the awkward silence.

The bluenette glared at Cliff with sharp-edged emerald eyes of iniquity and the grin on the blond's face quickly became ephemeral in style.

"Umm…I'm sorry, I misunderstood the question," Fayt began in an earnest tone, bullshitting his way out of this predicament. "I was saying that it feels good to know that no one has found her yet...because...that means…(what does that mean? he desperately pondered)...that there is a good chance she is still alive!" he finished triumphantly, almost wanting to throw a hand up in the air for navigating his way out of this one.

Everyone else was nodding their heads and Lois replied: "Yes Fayt, that is a positive way to think about things." Then she turned to Cliff. "I'm impressed with him, I've got to say. Then again, I've been impressed with him ever since I first heard his name on the news." She paused and squinted one eye. "Cliffairy! Take your hand out of your mouth, we're eating here!"

"...What's that noise?" Luke suddenly inquired as a faint ringing sound drifted into the room. Cliff slowly lowered his stinging hand to his side and he caught sight of Mirage shaking her head at him.

"Oh! It's the celephone," (aka celestial phone) Lois chirped while turning her head to the side. "Please excuse me a moment. It wouldn't ring unless it was really important." She disappeared into an adjoining room.

The jingle of utensils against dessert plates was the only noise for the next few moments while the table experienced another short lull in conversation.

Han decided it was a good time to bring up something he'd been wondering about. "Maybe I missed something here, but where is Cliff's dad exactly?"

Eyes darted this way and that around the table, each set hoping they wouldn't have to be the one to answer that question. Cliff appeared to be ignoring the inquiry since he was playing around with the communicator on his wrist. Natalia looked like she was about to speak up when Fayt started shaking his head violently at both her and Han as the sound of Lois's footsteps returned to the room.

Her usually bright and cheery demeanor had been replaced by a heavy, sober look — even her shoulders were drooping as she wandered back to her seat at the table. It appeared as if she had been repeatedly running her hands through her hair as her flawless curls were now frizzy and disordered.

Cliff felt a sudden jab in his stomach so he sat up ruler straight since his mother's distressed look was reminding him of painful memories from long ago. "What is it, ma?"

"I've got bad news everyone," she began ominously, casually scratching the curve of her nose. "That was President Widjaja (of Klaus III). He just received intelligence from the Sol System and wanted to pass it on to you two without delay." Oh crap, Fayt and Cliff both thought at the same time before Lois continued in almost a whisper. "They've got Maria Traydor."

"WHADDAYA MEAN THEY'VE GOT MARIA?!" Cliff bellowed with an unexpected fatherly passion that had arisen from deep within.

"I'm sorry to say that the Killers have most recently been invading Saturn's moons one by one and they found her on Titan and have taken her hostage. Widjaja says this is a huge blow to our side and that he is sure they will try to force her to use her powers to their advantage."

Oh no, Fayt pondered, smothering his face in his hand. She was hiding on Titan? I figured she would have chosen somewhere more remote to reduce the chance of people finding her…she'll hold out though, she's strong...

"Wait, there's more," Lois declared as the murmuring around the table died down. "As much as we don't like the Sol System — no offense to you, Fayt ('None taken') — these events with the Killers will not be just contained to that sector. Keeping that in mind, Widjaja told me that a world war has begun on Mars, a rebellion led by Ophelia against the Killers' rule. It doesn't look too good right now, what with the enemy's indestructible armour."

"NOOO!" the bluenette shouted impetuously, banging a fist on the table and rattling his fork off his plate. His next sentence tumbled from his tongue as his voice rose and fell: "If this goes on for any length of time the whole planet is going to be left in ruins...they need our help but we don't have any answers yet...and we haven't even had a chance to recover from Earth's obliteration…"

Sympathetic sighs surrounded Fayt and he suddenly wished he hadn't eaten so much.

"Widjaja is still on the line," Lois soon added with a flick of her finger. "He wants to discuss all of this with you so he can keep the other star systems updated."

"Okay." As Fayt stood up from his seat, Cliff lay a reassuring hand on his own. In his mind, the bluenette had already forgiven him for the crotch incident; he needed Cliff now more than ever and silly stuff like that couldn't come in the way.

Fayt's communicator started beeping as he made his way to the other room.

"Who do you think that is now?" the bluenette heard Logan say behind him.

Cliff's reply made his head throb. "Well y'know what they say, bad things come in threes right?"

----------------------------------------------------

A million different things were running through Fayt's mind as he sat on the toilet. His stomach wasn't feeling so good anymore, especially after the triple whammy it had just received. It didn't help that Leila kept sporadically scampering over from the holovision to knock on the door to tell him to hurry up. What was he going to do first? So many things needed to be dealt with and everyone was looking to him to solve all their problems. But I'm just barely holding myself together, how can I even begin to help anyone else when I don't even know who I am anymore? The knowledge of his suicide attempt, as described by Cliff, was eating away at his psyche like parasites on rank meat. Lately he'd felt as if he were moving in and out of reality, the numbness taking hold and releasing with increasing intensity.

His good friend was now a prisoner. She had been the one who had relentlessly pursued the truth over the Federation's secret symbological weapon experiments. She had revealed to him who he really was and they shared a special bond through the commonalities of their pasts.

And human civilization — his people — were being threatened, once again. The Sol System would always feel like home, even if he didn't live there anymore. It had such an important place in the history of the universe and with the Aldian Empire vanquished, so much promise for a peaceful future. Until now.

A gentle rap at the door. "Fayt?" came Luke's anxious voice. "Are you okay?"

"Ya ya, just a bit of a stomachache. Can you show Leila where the other bathroom is? She doesn't believe me."

"I'm on it."

Truthfully, he was starting to feel a bit better now. Going number two tends to do that. After using a respectable amount of toilet paper, he washed up and made sure to leave the fan on. As he peered down the hallway to his left, he saw Cliff, Logan, and Mirage sitting out on the balcony enjoying the sunset. He walked away from the children's cries in the living room and stepped out into the crisp evening air.

Fayt saw now that Lois's house was in a great location, right on the edge of Keremeos with a grand view of the rainforest beyond. Then again, for Klausians, 'house' was analogous to 'apartment' since they all lived in towering buildings in the cities (Lois on the 99th floor of hers) as one could not own land and have one's own yard on Klaus. This was tied to their tradition of not allowing the nurturing of natural plants in artificial landscapes.

The bluenette watched the sun spill orange splendor across the tops of the trees far below as a few passing starships lay silhouetted against the florid sky. The familiar smell of smoldering pot wafted into his nose and he noticed Logan was smoking said substance as he lay relaxed in a hammock nearby. Mirage and Cliff were sitting in deck chairs sipping a glass of Autumn Gold.

"Heya kid. So whaddaya think of the family?" Cliff asked cordially, trying to keep the conversation light — even if he knew it would inevitably turn dark like the encroaching night.

There was an empty chair waiting for him but Fayt decided against it. Instead he marched tiredly over to Cliff and sat right on top of him, the latter letting out a loud 'oofph' in response. Mirage chuckled and Logan took another puff of his joint. The latter's visor was resting on a table beside him.

"They're all great, really," Fayt replied as Cliff affectionately wrapped his arms around the bluenette's stomach. "They're funny and friendly, even if it gets a bit hectic with the kids and all."

"I'm with ya there," Logan remarked, rolling on his side in the hammock to face them.

The bluenette grinned and turned his head to look at Cliff. "I hope you don't mind," he muttered rather matter-of-factly while reaching for the blond's full glass and gulping down the wine in one swig.

"No, not at all," Cliff snickered, raising one hand to first massage Fayt's tense neck and then play with his azure locks. He ran his fingers through his sweetie's hair in waves, letting the sea spray of its heavenly softness caress his slightly chapped skin.

The Earthling let out a loud and lengthy sigh. "Wow, I needed that after all the shitty news I've been given tonight."

"Hmm...I don't think I've ever heard you swear before, Fayt," Mirage teased as she crossed her legs. She reached for the bottle of wine and refilled Cliff & Fayt's glass. The last few rays of rubicund-red radiance from the swollen sun sparkled and shimmered across her gorgeous blonde hair. "I'm afraid to ask who contacted you on your communicator."

"Good Mirage, don't then; can't you just let him rest a bit?" Logan wondered aloud before Fayt could respond. "It's always 'what's next' isn't it? This is the first time tonight I've actually seen him looking genuinely happy and relaxed." Indeed, the bluenette was now leaning back onto Cliff's chest, his eyes getting droopy from the latter's rhythmic breathing. Cliff sure knew how to use those hands for maximum effect, as he was rubbing them softly over Fayt's stomach in a circular motion. "To living in the moment, huh Fayt?"

"Ya, to the moment." He and Logan knocked glasses and then Mirage joined in.

For about fifteen minutes or so, all was quiet out on the balcony apart from the low hum of far-off flying cars and the herky-jerky twitter and tweet of tropical birds in the forest canopy below. The evanescence of the sun brought clarity to Fayt's mind, untangling the worries within.

"Dr. Zoda's in trouble," he finally announced, turning to face the others, eyes now fully open.

"Oh you mean the famous scientist from Midgard?" Mirage questioned quietly.

"Ya, he's the guy analyzing Leila's creation scan and the data from the Killer's planet," Cliff reminded her. "What's the scoop on him Fayt?"

The bluenette tilted his head upwards to look at his boyfriend. "Ally told me that someone gave the Killers intelligence that I was on Midgard and also gave them the coordinates for the planet, so now they are apparently sending asteroid ships for a full-on invasion. Since communication and transportation to the Sol System is cut-off, there are accusations that only those high up in the government could have tipped the Killers off. All fingers are pointing to Dr. Zoda since he has supposedly been in contact with his brother, who is also a scientist, on Mars."

Fayt could feel Cliff's heartbeat picking up as it pounded against his back. "That's ridiculous! He was probably just keepin' updated on what's going on there and exchangin' information that will be key to our resistance. He seems pretty damn smart to me, his brother's most likely in a safe area of Mars."

"Ya, I bet you're right," Fayt replied. "But Ally says people are starting to panic about the imminent attack and they need someone to blame. She thinks she can keep Zoda safe for a while, despite the fact that Parliament is clamouring for his head. He's forbidden to communicate with anyone though. Hehe, Ally also said that although Midgardians may have a laid-back lifestyle, they've got 'one hell' of a planetary defense system in place. But if the Killers have stolen Mars' technology they may have greatly improved their ships…"

"We've gotta go sort things out, pronto!"

"Wait a second Cliff," Mirage interrupted. "You're forgetting about Maria. And what are you going to do now that you won't be able to find out the results from Leila's scan?"

"Shit," was all Cliff uttered in response. "Gimme some more wine, Fayt. It helps me think."

"You need help," Logan suddenly muttured dreamily, his eyes rather bloodshot. They all turned to stare at him, Fayt holding the wine glass to his lips after Cliff had had a sip. The latter wondered if Logan was referring to him. "Dude, you totally need to get the group back together."

"What do you mean?" Fayt inquired cluelessly.

"The group, duh! The famous seven who vanquished the creator himself! Your team...?! The Ballsy Bunch as I like to call them! Once you rescue Maria you will all be united and you can figure it all out together!"

"That actually sounds like a really good idea," Mirage reasoned, flipping her hair around to look at Cliff.

"Yeah...YEAH! Fuckin' awesome Logan, my man! Though I think I like the name The Spunky Seven better. Whaddaya think F?"

Umm, F? ...I think we're overdoing the nicknames. Smiling, the Earthling placed his hands over Cliff's on his stomach. The hair on the back of his head was now sticking outwards in a messy fashion from the blond's stroking. "I do miss them a lot. We worked really well together didn't we? We always found a way through whatever problems we stumbled upon. This is too big for just you, me, Luke, and Han anymore. ...I can see the headline now: The Lionhearted League Reunited. So Mirage, are you in?"

She immediately gave him a gigantic wink. "When are we leaving, capt'n?"

SWEET! TO BE CONTINUED!

(A/N: I have to admit, I adore this chapter. Things are coming together. I sure took long enough to update :D I can just vividly imagine the four of them at the end chilling out on the balcony, way high up, looking over the endless rainforest surrounding Keremeos, the sun setting before them and airships passing by. I kept the descriptions pretty simple, but I think they get a lot across. What a triple whammy for Fayt and Cliff huh? But if that means REUNION next chapter, I'm all for it!)