Author's Notes: Demanding! Well, your words of encouragement have inspired me, citizens. So I shall write, and write, and write... By the way... do you know how challenging it is to fit this into an anime in correct chronological order when you don't have full access to the anime when you actually need it? And the 'pirates' are hypothetical enemies inspired by "Castle in the Sky"... and no, I won't actually write about the battle because I'm too lazy. Heehee.

-----

"Don't cry, Luciola-san," Deeo whispered to his young friend, two children crouched in the darkness of Deeo's almost frightfully huge playroom.

Luciola was sporting a new bruise on his face. He didn't know he'd stepped out of line by asking such a simple question. He couldn't even remember what it was now, but his tears were falling. Deeo's hands, small and insubstantial compared to the hand that had struck him, stroked his hair and his face.

"Please don't cry," the small voice said again, and he buried his face into the shoulder.

----

Luciola woke up with a start. Something warm and large was laying across his chest, which made it slightly harder to breathe but not impossible to, not in his sleep. It was Deeo, almost on the verge of sucking his thumb, laying his hand over Luke's heart and feeling its powerful beating. A raw, nervous smile spread over his lips before he touched his hand.

"Deeo," he said softly. "Deeo, it's time to wake up."

The boy opened both eyes at once, blinking before shutting them again. Stubborn as always. "No wakey. Fi' more minutes."

Then he snuggled all the closer, rubbing his groin against his hip without meaning to. Luciola blushed - there was no denying it, the word was on the tip of his tongue, that what he felt was unbridled desire. He rubbed back, bringing his hands over his master's sides to his back, rubbing it a little. Mm... how warm he felt, through his clothes... so good.

Deeo's head popped up, almost bashing him in the nose. He looked around wildly. "Immelman! He's going to be so mad if we're late!" Luciola was sure that there was no such practice session. Immelman - Claus, he corrected himself - was probably hammering away at that damned Vanship of his.

Then the dream coiled itself around his gut, reminding him that he had to stay awake. Luciola remembered the cold sting of his cheek when Delphine had slapped him, and threatened to strap him to her deadly thorns. He finally sat up slowly, Deeo's head rolling forward till his chin against against his own chest. He woke up.

"Wha's...? Oh, Luciola-san... You want breakfast, right? Let's go find something in the kitchen.. maybe that adorable little Aru will have cooked up something yummy, what with her natural talent for little tasties!"

Little tasties, indeed. Luciola could have told anyone what his favorite tasty was. He was still blushing, not noticing he still held onto Deeo when the boy was struggling to get up. "Silly! Let me go!"

Luciola blinked, startled enough to let him for a single second which is what all Deeo needed to spring free, and hurry out the door. The Guilder scoffed, frowned, and got up to hurry after him. All this running around wasn't befit of a Guild prince! But here, Deeo was just a vanship pilot like everyone else. And Luciola was his servant, his navi, and that's all there was to it.

On the way to the kitchen they were met with Ravey. Her eyes were slightly downcast, her vision seemingly lost as she bumped into the wall a few times before turning to take the service transporter down to the vanship hall where she was undoubtedly going to continue her work. Or, even more likely, her thoughts lingered on her beloved Claus with whom Deeo seemed harmlessly fascinated.

Luciola looked ahead again, and quickened his unseemly pace to match the speed of Deeo. He smelled the kitchen before he reached it, and stepped into a wall of scent and warmth that made him literally melt against one of the metal counters. Deeo brought him a soft, chewy cake. He bit into it, unthinking, and his mouth was once again assaulted by the sheer sweetness of it.

Deeo took his hand, smiling. Luciola was sorry he ever thought he doubted his feelings for this boy... almost a man. But the closer he came to his birthday, the less like his age he acted. Deeo always acted a little strange... but stranger, as if the very day was stealing away his maturity the nearer it drew.

Deeo squeezed his hand, when suddenly there came the inevitable "Inaudible Flight" warning. He sighed, released his friend's hand as he sidled up to the door. He mouthed something before walking out, sitting in the dressing room to gather his thoughts. He rubbed his eyes. Luciola materialized out of the shadows next to him on the bench. They couldn't speak now; the silence was almost unbearable. Would telepathy work? He didn't know if either of them were very good at it... and if even one spark of power was used, no doubt Delphine would probably sense it.

Maybe she was already coming. Deeo started to tremble, tears burning his eyes. Luciola saw them and raised his hand very slowly, gentle as a kitten, wiping them away with his thumb. The pressure of his touch brought Deeo back from having another panicking episode, but his eyes wandered to his lap. He smiled a little, and tilted his face into his palm, rubbing like a cat.

The unshakable desire to kiss him welled up like a bubble of air in a glass of clean, beautiful water. Water, he thought thirstily, licking his lips. Deeo made no moves, not anticipating his want this time. Instead of scooting closer, he stood up and stepped away, soft as a bird.

"Dee--" He stopped. Perhaps he was wrong about Deeo after all.

The boy unzipped his coat from the front near the collar. It peeled away from his skin, but Luciola couldn't see (he wished he could), could almost hear it peeling from his skin and slipping from his body. The obtrusive garment finally opened enough to slip off his his shoulders. His shirt hair just barely dusted the slight bump behind his neck between his shoulder blades, that weird bone that was part of the spine he thought. Strong shoulders, slender sturdiness, the sinuous muscle. All of it becoming bare before Luciola's trembling, watering eyes.

He wanted to ask him just what the hell he was doing, master, and why was he getting undressed? But it 'was' a small off-hand locker room... which felt suddenly old with disuse... that probably no one used anymore.

Deeo turned around. He bit his gloved fingertips and tugged his gloves from his beautiful hands. He placed them on the bench next to Luciola as he leaned over him. He was blushing down to his shoulders, Luciola saw with a somewhat louder gulp than he intended; the situation was getting a little frightening. It just got worse when Deeo lowered himself in front of him. Deeo did that often, but now he did it like a servant, on one knee, resting his hands on his own knees and imploring him silently.

He had no idea what those eyes could have said. They said everything and nothing. What did he want? Neither of them could speak. And the woman listening with her super-sensitive hearing device could hear almost everything they said. Could she hear his heart pounding?

Deeo waited. For what? A command he wasn't prepared to give? Some silent consent to do whatever it was Deeo wanted him to do? Chewing his lip, he rested his hands on Deeo's and leaned close, pressing his lips very close to his ear to speak as quietly as he could, almost without even speaking.

"What do you want from me?" Deeo looked up, blushing, tears glistening in the edges of his eyes, and turned his hands over to grasp his fingers. His uniform was falling down around his hips, low enough to show his naval, so he brought one of Luke's hands to his shoulder, scooting forward to kneel between his legs. Luke pulled him close without realizing it. Deeo's head came down to rest against his thigh.

What am I feeling? What does he want from me? Deeo, if only you could speak right now... I've got so much to say, and I... I don't know anything...

They stayed like that for minutes, listening to the boom of the rockets as they sent out their sound signals in search of the ever elusive alien craft, Exile. Waiting for the Inaudible Flight warning to cancel, though they didn't need to talk at the moment.

Suddenly the safety light came back on, and they could speak. Still Luciola didn't say anything. But someone did wander down the hall, and happen to notice this abandoned room's door being ajar. This stranger barged in and yelped in alarm, having seen the two Guilders in such a compromising situation, before crying, "What the--!?"

Deeo jumped straight into the air, yanking his suit over his upper body again, his entire face possibly as red as spilled blood. Luciola just crossed his legs one over the other and folded his arms over his chest, his cheeks gleaming with redness.

"Go away, filth!" Deeo sneered. "We're trying to figure out what the hell this room is for!"

"Well, whatever you think it's for, it's not from the looks of it! Anyway, Sofia has commanded that you lot get ready to get into your gear. Find your navi, 'cause there are pirates coming and they're packin' power."

Deeo blinked a few times before shrugging, casually zipping up his suit and walking out, pushing past the intruder with nothing more than an agitated grunt. Luciola stood up slowly and walked by, eyes closed with an impassive look on his face, a slight crease in his brow.

The two infamous Guilders couldn't be paired up, as it didn't make most of the other pilots that comfortable. Claus was stuck with Luciola as his navi, and Deeo was placed with another skilled navigator. Then, in perfect formation, the fleet burst out amidst the clouds and swung due west from which the pirates were said to be coming.

The engines pounded their lament into their ears, each pilot focused and prepared for any sort of attack. Deeo looked over toward Luciola's vanship with a slight smile. He was disappointed, so disappointed that he couldn't finish making Luciola happy. He gritted his teeth, tightening his fingers around the steering mechanism with a fierce gleam in his eyes. Oh, those pirates would feel the leading edge of his frustration. He got excited just thinking about killing them. He ordered his navigator to be careful, and to make sure not to red-out or he'll surely have his hide when they get back.