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A/N: Wow, thanks for all the encouragement you guys! ^_^ Here's the next chapter - I incorporated some of the advice but not all, because you know, sometimes things just don't fit with the creative vision, right? But I did spell-check Joker's dialogue this time! Anyway, the tale continues...
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Ace stepped outside into the cold night. Just as he'd expected, he found Joker standing beneath a tree, facing away from the inn with an irritated expression on his face. Ace sighed, and decided to face what was coming to him.
"Howdy, sugah," he addressed Joker, holding up a bottle. "Y'wanna share a jug o' this here likker?"
"Ïsn't that jüst lick yü?" Joker grumbled. "Nöt a würd abüt yer lïttle discüvery - jüst un üffer uv booze..."
Ace sighed again, settling down next to the tree. "Ah dunno what y'want me t'do... Ah'm sorry, hear?"
Joker looked slightly less stern as he glanced down at Ace. "Ïf yü rïlly ver sörry, yü'd üffer un exküse..."
Ace looked off into the distance of the mountains beyond Caleria for awhile before answering. "Ah reckon Ah shouldn've said nuthin' t' begin with..."
"Ün novel idïa," Joker snorted, "kïpin' yür bïg müth shut."
"Y'see," Ace began to explain, "Ah've always had a li'l crush on that there captain o' ours. Ever since we wuz first hooked up wit' this here unit. But dagnabbit - e'en when Ah'd trah makin' a pass, he'd jus' blow it off. Ah figgered he's jus' that kind o' gah 'at don't do relashins so well."
"Ünd so, Ï'm jüst yür bäcküp?"
"No, no - ain't like that t'all!" Ace exclaimed, getting to his feet to face Joker. "After Ah done met you, Ah didn' care so dang much about what ol' Geddoe duz wit' himself." Reaching a hand up to Joker's face, he turned it to look deep into Joker's dark eyes. "Ah wuz jes' kinda shocked, at th' thought o' our captin gettin' it on w'someone, s'all. A li'l jealous, mebbe... but long's Ah've got you here, Ah kin deal..."
Joker looked back, his expression softening at the tender words, and a single crystalline tear made its way down his cheek, shining in the moonlight. "Dü yeh rïlly mean it?" he whispered.
Ace nodded. "More'n anythang, sugah."
Without further discussion, Joker surged forward into Ace's arms, meeting his lips with a passionate kiss. Hardly surprised, Ace enclosed him in a crushing embrace, kissing back with just as much fervor. In the state they were in, he knew they could hardly go back through the inn to get to their room without comment, and so thinking quickly, he steered the two of them towards an out-of-the-way corner in the shadow of the walls surrounding Caleria, where they could have relative privacy.
"Üüh, Ace, herdür, herdür!" Joker groaned, his body locked against Ace's as if he were hanging on for dear life, separating long enough only to remove their clothes. "Ünf! Ünf!"
Jacques and Aila, out for a late-night stroll, heard the sounds coming from the corner. Aila peered in that direction curiously, while Jacques blushed slightly and averted his eyes. "Oh my gawd, like, gag me with a spoon," he murmured.
Aila gave him a thoughtful "hmm" as they headed back towards the inn. "Cdemm... ev dra ihtanfayn teth'd pamuhk du aedran uv dras, un du oui, E fuhtan fruca ed fyc?"
Jacques shook his head. "Like, I dunno... totally freaky."
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So Ace and Joker are reunited! Awwwww! But still the mystery of the briefs in Geddoe's room remains, well, a mystery! Maybe Jacques and Aila will find out... or maybe Queen has an idea? You'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out! ^____^