Title: The Great Below
Author: Lennith
Rating: R, just to be safe. It will be more or less soft for a few chapters, but expect mature themes, kiddies.
Pairing: CliffAlbel
Disclaimer: Although I am a huge fan of all the Star Ocean games and manga, I have nothing to do with their creation! I make no money off of this! The only purpose in writing this fic is to release my own demons. So sue me if you want. I'll only plead insanity XD
Warnings: This fic is YAOI! Man on man action. Chances are, if you don't know the term yaoi just leave now. Although I enjoy throwing my crazy ideas out there into the fiction world, I don't want to be responsible for melting the brains of innocents. This fic has mature themes: violence, nudity, possible gore, definite language, and SEX.
A/N: Eee, writing CliffAlbel is so fun... I was surprised to find there are actually quite a few CliffAlbel fics out there, but sadly I feel like a lot of them just don't quite hit Albel's character on the head He really is such a complicated beastie! Even Cliff's reaction to him is hard! It sucks to be me, because I try to put a lot of time, thought and effort into doing my best to keep my characters IC. It's so haaaaard! Ah well, even if not too many people are reading this, I'll keep at it! Heck, I'm used to it XD I write Scryed yaoi. I'd also like to inform my fellow perverts that this fic is available on I almost wonder why I bother with at this point. I have a first-class ticket to hell and I adore lemons. I hate having to edit them all out for ffnet! Erm, yes. Thank you to my lovely reviewers!
Cheza-Chan: Haha! Yeah, I admit it. I have full intention to make this a full, short chaptered fic… I want to mess with them more! I have a lot more to tell! Haha, thank you for your support! You MUST show me your drabble! KUKUKUKU!
DracoDormiens7: Eeee! tacklehug! You know, as I was skimming ffnet, yours was the only SO fic that interested me! Since you asked me to read it, of course I did! And might I add, bravo! You know, it's crazy but I actually toyed with the idea of Vox sexual abuse as well? I definitely agree that there's something seriously twisted between those two. shivers I'm glad I decided not to include that in this particular fic. My hat goes off to you for braving those waters. I'll email you for sure when I have a chance!
Kaorustalker30: As soon as I read your comment I started working on this chapter! "Perfect blend of insult, nastiness, and vulnerability - in short, I loved it." Agh, you have no idea how wonderful it feels to not only have a reader understand what you were going for, but also tell you you hit it dead on. I was feeling a little discouraged because though I was really excited about this fic I wasn't getting much of a reaction to it. Welp, like it or not, thanks to you I'm continuing it!
Just to let everyone know, this chapter contains the first citrus! Once again, if homosexuality offends you, please, do not read! Flashbacks are still in italics and between breaks of stars! Thanks for reading
Ixi
For all we could have done and all that could have been.all the world has closed her eyes
tired faith all worn and thin
for all we could have done
and all that could of been
"We're only staying here one night, so don't get too comfortable, understand me?" Albel entered the room first, immediately moving to claim his bed. Thank God all of these town inns had multiple beds. He could have gotten a room in the Storm Brigade barracks, but then he would have had to deal with a lengthy interview as to why he turned down the mission to Mosel at the very last moment. Having to deal with the Clausian had already his nerves worn too thin for him to have to deal with agitated officers.
"Alright, alright. Yeesh, you make it seem like it's my fault that there's only one room available," Cliff moaned sarcastically. He kicked off his boots haphazardly with a long sigh of content. He was getting soft being cooped up in boardrooms. It'd been a long time since his feet actually felt sore from a simple day's walk.
Albel rolled his eyes, tearing off his scarf off his face and quickly shedding the constricting gold jacket. "You asked for one room before the innkeeper even said that, maggot," he said with obvious irritation. "I'm taking a bath."
Cliff's grin suddenly tightened into a frown. "Woah, hold up!" His large hand caught the pale shoulder and spun the man around. Albel's white undershirt was clearly caked with blood in several spots. Angry, and not waiting to ask permission, Cliff quickly tugged the garment up before Albel could react. The shorter man hissed in pain, the bared flesh marked by four long gashes across the torso.
"Would you let go of me!" he snarled, suddenly desperate to just get away to the blessed solitude of the bathroom.
"MORON," Cliff spat back, just as vehemently. "What the hell do you think you're doing going on a mission with untreated wounds! Are you insane or just stupid?"
Albel managed to break out of Cliff's weakened grasp, took a step back and just shrugged. "They're disinfected," he said, as if that made it perfectly alright to go into an combative mission with four gaping wounds. "Now, I'm taking my bath. If I hear another word out of you I'll cut your tongue out."
Cliff sighed in exasperation, shaking his blonde head in a mixture of frustration and hopelessness. "I'm tending your wounds and then you're getting some rest. Argue with me and I'll just pick you up and tie you to the bed. Disinfected or not, you've made those cuts worse by being an idiot and walking all day without at least bandaging them."
Albel went through a quick range of emotions, from mere irritation at being babied, to being both flustered and enraged at the threat of being tied up before settling on giving a glare of absolute loathing to the man in front of him. He'd been blocking it out, but the cuts, though they weren't too deep, throbbed angrily.
"Fine, make it quick," he submitted, the words grated out through clenched teeth. He stomped to his bed, tossing the jacket that lay on it to the floor roughly and stripped off his shirt. To his relief Cliff made no snide comments and simply pulled a small device from his pocket. After plugging in the appropriate numbers a large first aid kit shimmered into existence. With another disbelieving shake of his head Cliff began to carefully dress the wounds.
xxx
Albel's hand slid to the dagger beneath his pillow reflexively as his door creaked open. "Who is it," he hissed threateningly, though the slight movement caused him great pain.
"Relax, it's me," the rich voice reassured from the darkness. Albel relaxed his position but reserved his scowl as the figure materialized in the faint blue light that emanated from the metal walls of this strange place. Just what he needed, a midnight visit from the meatheaded oaf.
"And why, may I ask are you here?" It was a fair enough question. All of the brute's bleeding-heart friends had been snoring for hours already.
"Because I know you hardly sleep and it's time for your wound to be redressed," Cliff answered drolly. He held up a vial of silvery fluid and a roll of bandages as an olive branch.
The crimson eyes narrowed even further. "I'm fine. You can do it in the morning. Leave," he demanded in clipped sentences.
Cliff obviously didn't take the point. He didn't even bat an eye as he deposited himself on the bed and started efficiently unwrapping the bandages wrapped around Albel's shoulder and chest. "Vendeeni weaponry is no joke. You're lucky you're alive. That was a damn-fool move you made today," Cliff chided. "I don't know what made you decide to do that but we all probably owe you our lives for it."
"Yesterday," Albel corrected absently, almost screaming in relief as the solution was dabbed on the ugly purple wound marring his shoulder, numbing the poisonous pain. He remembered the whole incident in a haze. He'd been watching the exchange between the strange looking aliens and his former temporary allies from above. The weapons pointed at the Klausian, the order to shoot. He hadn't even thought about his actions, he'd simply thrown himself into the standoff in a rage. He remembered the flash of light, tumbling towards the unforgiving ground that he'd accepted as his death. Then he only knew that somehow Cliff had caught him before he hit the ground, and that he was cradled in strong arms.
"What are you doing!" Albel yelped, jerked out of his thoughts as Cliff's fingers started to knead the muscles around the wound.
Cliff blinked quizzically. "I'm giving you a massage."
"Well, stop it and get out of here! Go rub someone else," Albel said with a rather final ring.
To his disgust Cliff only chuckled. Oh, how he hated that sound, that completely self-assured, rumbling laughter. It made his stomach knot uncomfortably. "A massage will bring fresh blood to the deteriorated flesh and encourage your body to heal. The analeptic should take care of the pain, but if it hurts tell me."
"Oh," Albel replied stupidly. He still didn't much like the idea, but the treatment did ease the pained stiffness of his muscles as he felt the blood there starting to circulate again. The effect of the otherworldly weapons was frightening. The beam had only just grazed him and it'd started decomposing his body at an alarming rate. If he wanted to survive this he would have to trust the foreigners to treat the wound properly. He didn't have to enjoy it, though.
"Would you relax already? This won't do you any good if you're tight enough to snap and trying to bore holes through me," Cliff whined, sticking his thumb between Albel's shoulder blades and twisting it, causing Albel to hiss and then sigh in relief as all the muscles in his back went lax.
Considering he was used to those same hands being clenched into fists and aimed at him, he was surprised to find them skillful and deft. He shivered unwillingly as they moved lower to ease the muscles of the small of his back. He smacked the knee at his side disapprovingly. "I doubt those muscles have anything to do with my wound," he said, annoyed to find his voice coarse. He wasn't used to being touched and was disturbed that it actually felt good.
"You could use it anyway. You're stiff as a plank," Cliff replied emotionlessly, continuing his treatment.
Albel turned his head slightly, only enough to glance at the man behind him out of the corner of his eye. "What do you care?"
Cliff gave a small shrug of his shoulders, still not removing his hands. "If I don't, who will?"
Albel snorted, but gave up his protest. The combination of exhaustion, the medication and the unfamiliar, forced relaxation of his muscles left him feeling warm and his mind fogged. He could feel Cliff's breath on the back of his neck, the sensation reminding him of how close they were. His eyes drooped with uncharacteristic pleasure. A small moan escaped his lips as the skilled fingers popped one of his lumbar vertebrae, the bone slipping into its correct position. He froze in horror at the sound that he had just made and the unmistakable rush of sensation in his groin.
"Did I hurt you?" Cliff asked anxiously, carefully removing his hands.
Albel muttered a long strand of unintelligible curses, desperately trying to will away the steadily growing and utterly sexual tension overtaking his body. "No," he finally managed to wrench out at a volume Cliff would be able to make sense of.
The man grinned, giving the other's good shoulder a pat of approval. "Good boy. Now turn around and I'll do your chest."
"No!" Albel almost yelled, catching the larger man by surprise. "I feel much better. Go get some sleep."
Of course now that he'd won this battle once, Cliff wasn't about to back down. "Come on, it'll do you good! There's nothing to be embarrassed about." His arms suddenly closed around Albel, not only causing the two-toned haired man to panic but also only increased his growing problem. He tried to struggle but cried out in pain as his numbed wounds protested bitterly.
"Just leave me alone!" But it was too late. Cliff used his greater strength and weight to force Albel around. Albel's mouth fell open in utter horror and felt his face burning hotter than it'd ever been inside the lava caverns as Cliff's gaze fell directly on his thinly disguised and blossoming erection. Paralyzed with uncertainty he steeled himself for the humiliation to come.
Cliff continued to stare for an eternity of several seconds. "Huh," he finally said, releasing some of the pressure of his grip. "Guess you are feeling much better," he said with a grin beginning to form on his handsome face. Before it could materialize Albel struck out at him viciously, the talons of his false arm leaving oozing gashes on Cliff's cheek. "What the hell are you doing!" He dabbed at his cheek, not thinking that Albel would continue his attack and rather surprised when he found himself flat on his back, pinned under Albel with the man's metal claws digging into his shoulder cruelly.
"I asked you several times," Albel murmured dangerously, his eyes treacherously glazed with lust, "to leave me alone. Now leave while you can."
He felt another shiver course through his body as Cliff grinned again, this time far more predatorily. "Is it that much fun, being alone?" the Klausian asked, voice coarse. He ground his hips upwards experimentally and there was no way of denying the groan of pleasure it tore from the Elicoorian's lips. Encouraged and aroused by the response, Cliff repeated the motion, this time pinning Albel's hips down, his hands firmly gripping and massaging the leaner man's buttocks. Sparks flashed before Albel's eyes and searing emotions clouded his thoughts. He mimicked the motion and was gratified with not only another wave pleasure but also a rough growl of reciprocation from the Klausian. The vague wondering of what the hell he was doing passed fleetingly through his mind, but it passed before he could even try to grasp the significance of it. As they started to move together there was only the warm scent of the blonde's skin, the strong but gentle fingers running up his back and tangling in his blonde-tipped brown hair, and the hardness of the leather encased arousal rubbing against his own.
He felt something warm against his lips. Cliff was kissing him, his tongue teasing over the lips that parted for him. Albel's eyes fluttered closed and his claws sunk deeper into the firm flesh beneath him as the other's tongue slipped into his mouth. The Wicked knew this taste. His body craved it as the earth craved water. Before he could think too deeply on the unsettling realization Cliff pulled back, biting at his lips teasingly. "Let me take care of you," the blonde whispered, and Albel was immediately torn between beating the man to a pulp, demanding he shut up and finish what he'd started and crying in frustration. He shouldn't be feeling this, this surge of confusing and conflicting emotions. He shouldn't be feeling anything at all. They were blissfully drowned out by the rushing of his blood in his ears as Cliff's fingers plunged below the soft linen of his sleep pants, tangling around his already seeping erection.
xxx
"Uh, Albel, I'm finished," Cliff's voice jarred him from his memories back to reality. Albel cursed lowly under his breath, covering his discomfort by inspecting his bandaged torso. The wounds were still sore, but the pain felt much healthier and the bandages were tight but not constricting.
Unable to face the man who'd tended to him he focused on glaring at the innocent sheets. "…Thanks," he forced out, grudgingly.
Cliff frowned slightly. He knew what the other had been thinking about and he'd been remembering the incident as well. He felt suddenly awkward, unsure of what he should do. He wanted to talk about what was or wasn't between them. The unspoken words and emotions were like a wound left to fester. He wanted to air them out, but he didn't want to risk being abandoned for the rest of his visit. With Albel it was as if he were playing with a tower of blocks. If he removed a block too quickly, or simply removed too many it'd topple and he'd have to build the whole thing up again. Inwardly kicking himself he took the safest route. He'd just let it rest for tonight. There'd be time later. "You're welcome, but please don't neglect yourself like that again."
"What do you care?" he spat, only realizing too late his poor choice of words.
Cliff smiled, his eyes softening slightly. "If I don't, who will?" Albel scowled darkly and chose not to reply. The Klausian sighed, tousling the soft brown and blonde hair innocently. "Now get some sleep, you're feverish." Albel continued to glower, but feeling suddenly overwhelmed by fatigue decided not to argue.
To his annoyance Cliff didn't look away as he rose to strip off the rest of his clothing. "Would you mind?" he asked silkily in contrast with the murderous glint in his eyes.
"Well, since you ask so sweetly," Cliff turned around with a yawn. Albel caught a glimpse of his tightly muscled back as the Klausian undressed before hastily looking away and stripping down as quickly as possible. He grumbled at the coolness of the sheets against his skin and turned on his side to face the wall.
Across the room, in the darkness Cliff glanced over at him wearily. They'd wasted so much time with this stupidity. He wondered what it was that made Albel so unwilling to just clearly express what it was he wanted. Or what it was that kept him wondering. He closed his eyes in defeat. Tomorrow would be another day, as the old Earth saying went.
To be continued…
A/N: slamsheadtodesk Ugh, this took me way too long. I really hope that it stayed reasonably in character… if it seems REALLY off someone please tell me and I'll redo it. Agh agh agh.